SHAH ALAM, 29 Jan: Barisan Nasional (BN) is lacking in competent candidates or candidates that can win to be placed in the Kajang State Legislative Assembly (DUN) by-election.

Most of the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Assemblymen from PKR, DAP and PAS have given statements regarding the candidate that can be a ‘key player’ by BN to contest against the PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Assemblyman for Taman Medan (PKR), Haniza Talha, said that the scenario facing the BN leadership today is the same as the scenario for the search of a candidate from the party in Selangor during the 13th General Election (GE13).

“This is the fact that they (BN) should accept. They have never opened space for the young people to be successors. Just look at the GE13, most BN candidates were old and had been repeatedly placed to contest.

“This is in contract with PR which has many young candidates from diverse backgrounds and good credibility,” she said when contacted by Selangor Kini today.

She said that BN has no choice and instead needs to be more resilient in weathering a though road in search of a winnable candidate to face the challenger, Anwar.

The Assemblyman for Bukit Gasing (DAP), Rajiv Rishyakaran, said that BN would absolutely not get a place in urban areas, especially Selangor.

He said that the trust and confidence of the people today are increasingly leaning highly towards PR, thus rejecting BN leadership.

“It is not that BN does not have candidates. The question is whether the people, especially in urban areas, still have confidence in riding with and believing in the BN leadership.

“We are aware that many BN candidates who formerly contested in urban areas have ran out of the city and to villages because they themselves are aware of the response of the people towards BN has faded,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Paya Jaras Assemblyman (PAS), Khairuddin Othman, suggested for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself to be the Kajang DUN by-election candidate if the search among BN candidates reaches a dead end.

“If Najib is brave, what is wrong with him trying his luck in Kajang. It may be funny, but it is not impossible if he (Najib) is truly brave enough to engage in a one-on-one with Anwar.

“Probably the same opportunity can be considered by (Datuk Seri) Noh Omar. Who knows, maybe he wants to gauge whether he still has influence in Selangor,” he said.