Tun Abdullah confident BN will win both by-elections

Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was confident of a Barisan Nasional victory in the two

parliamentary by-elections on June 18.

"We can win, but we need to work very hard. I'm sure we can," he said in reference to the by-elections in Sungai Besar, Selangor, and Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

He spoke to reporters after the presentation of excellent service awards at the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia here.

Asked whether he would go down to the ground to campaign, Abdullah said: "We will help. Let's see. God willing."

At the event, Abdullah presented excellent service awards for 2015 and loyal employee awards for 2016 to 17 IKIM staff. Also present was IKIM director-general Prof Datin Dr Azizan Baharuddin.

The by-elections are being held following the deaths of the MPs, Datuk Noriah Kasnon of Sungai Besar and Datuk Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad of Kuala Kangsar, in a helicopter crash in Sarawak on May 5.

Four other people also died in the accident.

Nominations have been set for June 5.

Dr Azizan, when asked about the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016 tabled last Thursday in the Dewan Rakyat, said IKIM would help explain the matter to the public.

"We are studying the Bill. We do not want to disseminate inaccurate information," she said.

Dr Azizan said the people should remain calm and not spread inaccurate information on the Bill which could undermine inter-racial relations in the country.

In Malacca, Senator Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam called on voters in the two constituencies to support the BN, saying the opposition was incapable of shouldering the trust given by the people as they could only talk without any action.

As an example, he said, Selangor administered by the opposition had not shown any drastic development and was instead saddled with cleanliness and water issues that had no solutions.

"Development is undertaken only by the Barisan Nasional government. We work every day but the opposition just talks every day," he told Bernama.