GE15: PN will not have problematic individuals as candidates - Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR: Perikatan Nasional (PN) will not allow problematic individuals to stand as its candidates in the 15th General Election (GE15), said its secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

He said PN would check the background of all potential candidates to ensure they have no criminal records and do not face any legal action.

"We want our candidates to be clean and we have a few names to be submitted to the relevant agencies, like the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) to check their background," said the Home Minister when met by reporters after opening the National Forensic Science Symposium For Law Enforcement at the Royal Malaysia Police College in Cheras.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates for the GE15 would have to undergo screening, including with the religious department, before being allowed to contest.

The prime minister, who is also UMNO vice-president, said the screening with the religious department, which is done for the first time, was also to ensure the candidates concerned are not involved in syariah cases, like claims for alimony.

-- BERNAMA