Najmuddin Turns Down Offer To Stand As Independent Candidate

Batu Kurau incumbent state assemblyman Datuk Mohd Najmuddin Elias said he would not stand as an independent candidate in the 13th General Election (GE13) despite offers by some to sponsor him.

The Islamic Affairs adviser to the Perak Menteri Besar who recently announced that he would not defend his seat, claimed that he received the offer through a number of short-message services (SMS).

"I stand by my decision not to contest," he said in a media conference, here, today.

Last Thursday he had said that he would not be defending his seat as he wanted to concentrate on his responsibilities in the state's religious affairs and also to allow a new face to represent the constituency.

Mohd Najmuddin assured that he would remain loyal to the Barisan Nasional (BN) and would never betray the party.

"I really appreciate the support given me by the voters all this while and I urge them to accept and support the new candidate chosen by the party leadership," said Najmuddin who garnered 7,023 votes to beat Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Hamid Ali who obtained 4,584 votes.