UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) will field candidates wanted and favoured by the people at the 14th general election (GE14), Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in Malacca yesterday.

As such, no party should lobby to become a GE14 candidate, the Umno vice-president said, and should leave the decision to Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“What is important (in choosing a GE14 candidate) is the choice of the people, the taste of the people. We will prioritise whom the people want. The prime minister will give the people whom they want.

“No need to lobby (to become a candidate) via an agency or whatever. This time, the prime minister will not take any risk if the candidate is rejected by the people… we do not want to cast aside the candidates the people want,” he said when opening the Tangga Batu Umno division delegates’ meeting.            

Present were Chief Minister Idris Haron, who is also the Tangga Batu Umno division chief and more than 1,000 delegates.

Zahid said when the leadership names the candidates for GE14, all party members must accept and express support for them to ensure their victory.            

He added that all Umno and BN machinery must focus on areas identified as “retain” and “regain” at GE14.

Zahid, taking a dig at the opposition, said cooperation among Pakatan Harapan parties was not as united and as solid as that among the BN component parties.          

“I see on the other side (opposition parties), there is no integration between them but our 13 (component) political parties are still in BN. They do not last because they have different directions and ideologies.”

He added that BN must be smart in using the media, especially social media, in communicating with the target groups.            

“If in the last general election, we sank because we were not proficient (in social media) that’s not the case now.” – Bernama, July 29, 2017.