KUALA KRAI, 13 July 2009: Manik Urai voters living outside the constituency must consider the plight and development needs of the locals in Manik Urai when casting their vote in the by-election tomorrow, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said though these outstation voters may be concerned with national issues, they must also prioritise development issues in Manik Urai.
“They must look at the local issues which are of more concern since Manik Urai is in dire need of development and they (voters) can see the conditions themselves.
“I am confident that outstation voters can see Barisan Nasional (BN)’s capabilities before deciding who to vote for,” he told reporters at a briefing on preparations at the BN operations centre in Sungai Sok Luar here today.
Tomorrow, 12,293 registered voters will head to the polling stations to pick their candidates for the Manik Urai state assembly seat. The seat is being contested by Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39, from BN and Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, 50, from PAS.
Muhyiddin said that it was his sincere hope that the people of Manik Urai, who wanted continued support from the federal government, would not be left behind in the race for development.
He expressed belief that the leadership and administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with its “People First” slogan, and Najib’s successful 100 days in office, would convince voters.
“If given the mandate by the people, the federal government will fulfill the promises and expectations of the Manik Urai people,” Muhyiddin said.
He said he wanted the electorate to vote wisely especially when BN had already outlined its commitment in developing Manik Urai.
Today, the National Institute for Electoral Integrity (NIEI) took Muhyiddin to task for promising a bridge in Manik Urai if the electorate voted in the BN candidate. NIEI said Muhyiddin’s statement smacked of election graft.
“Voters need not worry and should come out in full force to vote. We are hoping for a high percentage of voters and hope the voting process will go on smoothly without any untoward incidents,” Muhyiddin said.
Muhyiddin said he was happy and satisfied with the hard work put in by the BN election machinery under Kelantan Umno liaison chief Datuk Mustapa Mohamed. — Bernama
