UMNO has put to rest dissatisfaction among its grassroots over the selection of MCA’s Wee Jeck Seng as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Tg Piai by-election, said president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the sentiment for an Umno candidate was strong initially but it has been addressed.

“We have had meetings, and though the sentiment was strong initially, things have now calmed down.

“They will work to ensure victory for the MCA candidate who will represent BN and there will be no racial issues over this matter,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Zahid said the grassroots have accepted the decision in the spirit of BN unity and the coalition machinery will ensure Wee’s victory.

BN announced Wee as its candidate yesterday amid talks Umno wanted to contest the seat.

Polling for the seat is on November 16 while nomination day is on November 12.

The Tg Piai parliamentary seat was declared vacant after incumbent Md Farid Md Rafik died last month due to heart complications.

Wee was Tg Piai’s MP for two terms before losing to Farid by 524 votes last year.

In 2013’s general election, Wee won the seat with a 5,457-vote majority.

Last year, PAS candidate Nordin Othman received 2,962 votes, while Wee got 20,731, for a total of 23,693, which would be about 2,000 more than Farid’s.

This by-election will be the first since Umno and PAS signed the pact last month, and will test the widely held belief that the combined support bases of the two Malay parties could defeat Pakatan Harapan.

PAS has announced it will not contest the seat.

Tg Piai has 52,986 registered voters, with 26,565 in the Kukup state constituency and 26,421 in Pekan Nenas.

The racial breakdown of voters is 57% Malays, 42% Chinese and 1% Indian. – October 31, 2019.