Tengku Adnan's brave front for six-cornered fight

PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said he has no qualms defending the Putrajaya parliamentary seat against the handful of candidates in the 15th General Election (GE15).

Speaking at the Precinct 16 food court here, the four-term incumbent said this was because he believes in a clean and fair fight.

"I have competed four times against big names including a PKR deputy president, a PAS vice president... I have no problems," he said.

For the first time since the seat was contested in 2004, the Putrajaya parliamentary seat is witnessing a six-cornered clash.

The six candidates are Tengku Adnan (BN-UMNO), Bersatu vice president Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin (PN-Bersatu), Dr Noraishah Mydin Abdul Aziz (PH-PKR), Berjasa deputy president Datuk Mohd Rosli Ramli (Pejuang), as well as two independents, namely Lim Fice Bee and Samsudin Mohamad Fauzi.

Tengku Adnan also expressed confidence that young voters in Putrajaya will back him to retain the seat for BN in this election.

"I love the young people in Putrajaya, some of whom I have known from when they were very young... they will support me because they know what I have accomplished," he said.

Asked about the campaign posturing of 'one vote-for whom' played up by the opposition, Tengku Adnan said there was no issue regarding the narrative because all parties knew that BN's prime ministerial candidate was Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

"For me, there is no issue whether there is one vote for Ismail Sabri or Ahmad Zahid (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), but the important thing is one vote (in Putrajaya) for me," he said.

Previously, PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli rallied voters in Sungai Buloh not to vote for Khairy Jamaluddin because the vote would enable UMNO president Zahid Hamidi who is also the BN candidate in Bagan Datuk to become prime minister.

Meanwhile, Radzi said PN's efforts to wrest the Putrajaya parliamentary seat from BN had entered "fifth gear".

"I am offering myself to the people of Putrajaya so that I can bring a new approach and strategy to make Putrajaya a greater administrative city," he said after officiating the Putrajaya Taekwondo Open Championships here.

-- BERNAMA