Pengkalan Kubor: Voters welcome Mat Razi as BN candidate

Mat Razi, 48, who is called "Ustaz" by locals, said he was ready, mentally and physically, to shoulder the responsibility of continuing the legacy of his predecessor, the late Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar.

"It came as a surprise and I am still shocked (chosen as BN candidate), but it is what the president and party want. I accept and hope my colleagues in the division will support and assist me," he told reporters here Thursday.

The announcement on Mat Razi as the BN candidate was made by Deputy Prime Minister and BN deputy chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin before more than 5,000 people at the BN operations centre for the by-election here Wednesday.

He said the BN chose Mat Razi, as he was a local who had much experience and had been of service to the constituents.

The Pengkalan Kubor by-election has been necessitated by the death of Noor Zahidi of the BN on Aug 20. Nomination is on Saturday and polling on Sept 25.

In the last general election, Noor Zahidi defeated Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Saharun Ibrahim and an Independent candidate, Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary, with a majority of 1,736 votes.

Mat Razi, a former Tumpat assistant education officer, is a person respected by friends and foes, being a founder of a pondok (religious school), located at Simpangan here.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in History and Malay Literature from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and also graduated from the Sultan Abdul Halim Teacher's Training College in Kedah.

Mat Razi, who is Tumpat Umno division committee member, said he would continue to teach at his pondok school even if elected as assemblyman.

"Teaching at the pondok school has been my routine every night and I will continue doing it even when I become an elected representative," he added.

Meanwhile, Wanita Umno leader Datuk Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said from survey carried out by the movement, voters in Pengkalan Kubor welcomed Mat Razi's selection as the BN candidate.

"We have started making house visits to met the residents and share with them information on development carried out by the federal government in the state.

"We get feedback from the people on Mat Razi and they are happy with the choice of candidate decided by the leadership," she told reporters after the opening of the Kelantan Women Entrepreneurs Carnival at the Kelantan Trade Centre here Thursday.