THE Chini by-election campaign last night saw Bersatu share the stage with Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS for the very first time.

The presence of Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin at BN’s “Leaders with the People” talk in Bandar Dara Chini near Pekan tonight was in line with the spirit of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance established in February.

In fact, the Larut MP’s appearance on stage next to Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob gave a clear signal that Bersatu fully supports BN candidate Mohd Sharim Md Zain to represent the PN government.

In his speech, Hamzah urged the people to appreciate the services of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Bersatu president, in his first three months in office, as the latter had proven to be able to unite all the party leaders within the ruling government.

“He (Muhyiddin) has proven that the BN leadership can work with us (Bersatu), (with people) like Ismail Sabri… the same goes for PAS leaders, (it is shown that) they can work with us (Bersatu) and this proves that we are capable of ruling the country in a peaceful and prosperous manner,” he said.

Also present at the event were Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan and Pekan PAS division chief Abu Kassim Manaf.

The Chini by-election on July 4 will see a three-way contest among Sharim, 41, and two independent candidates, namely Tengku Zainul Hisham Tengku Hussin, 64, and Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli, 49.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) did not field a candidate, citing public safety and health concerns following the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Chini by-election is being held following the death of incumbent Abu Bakar Harun (BN) who died of a heart attack on May 7.

This has been the 11th by-election called following the 14th general election in 2018, and the first since the implementation of the movement-control order on March 18 this year. – Bernama, June 28, 2020.