BARISAN Nasional’s candidate for the Semenyih by-election will not be an “expired product”, said Mohamad Hasan.

The acting BN chairman said the pact’s candidate must be someone accepted by voters, adding that he will not name anyone who is politically “expired” or has political baggage.

He said there is no point fielding a candidate who has the pact’s backing, but not constituents’ support.

“I am not going to field a ‘product’, meaning candidate, who is already expired, that’s for sure.

“The ‘product’ must be acceptable and marketable,” said the Umno acting president, better known as Mat Hasan, at MCA’s Chinese New Year open house in Kuala Lumpur today.

“This is all about marketing. It’s about marketing the right candidate who not only appeals to Umno and MCA, but to all in the constituency.”

The candidate must also carry the name of the party, unlike in the past, when it was the other way around, he said, referring to BN’s weakened position post-14th general election.

“We must have a good candidate. We can’t field someone who is just average. We must find a candidate who can carry the party. The party cannot carry the candidate any more.”

Mohamad added that he will announce the candidate in due time.

The by-election is slated for March 2.

The Semenyih seat fell vacant following the death of Pakatan Harapan assemblyman Bakhtiar Mohd Nor on January 11 due to a heart attack. He was 57.

In GE14, Bakhtiar defeated the BN, PAS and Parti Sosialis Malaysia candidates with a 8,964-vote majority, securing a total of 23,428 votes.

The by-election is likely to be contested by BN and PH, with PAS saying it will work closely with Umno in the polls. – February 5, 2019.