I love Paya Rumput but tasked with regaining Sg Udang, says BN man

Umno s Rais Yasin expressed his desire to contest the Sungai Udang seat since 2021, though he ceded the opportunity to the Tangga Batu Umno chief at that time. Hailing from Melaka, Yasin highlighted his deep affection for Paya Rumput, his current constituency, even as he was entrusted with the task of regaining Sungai Udang for the Barisan Nasional (BN) party. This responsibility, Yasin stated to FMT, he could not take lightly.

Yasin, who had been coordinating the state government s initiatives for Sungai Udang for the past three years following BN s loss to Bersatu by a margin of 530 votes in 2021, said the experience had helped him comprehend the needs and local issues of the electorate, including those pertaining to the armed forces community. The constituency, where more than 9,000 of the 29,692 voters are either members of the armed forces or their spouses, is strategically significant.

Yasin had initially opted for Paya Rumput, as the division chief at the time was prioritized, given his competitive race against PKR s Shamsul Iskandar Akin. Despite the challenge, Yasin managed to secure a narrow victory with a 629-vote majority. He ultimately became a member of the state executive council under the Sulaiman Ali administration, rising to a senior exco member under chief minister Ab Rauf Yusoh in April 2023.

In the upcoming Melaka state election on Nov 14, Yasin faces a three-way contest in Sungai Udang, a Malay-majority constituency. His opponents include Bersatu s Abdullah Mahadi and Bersama s Ridzuan Abdul Rahman. Sungai Udang, a seat Umno held since its creation in 1974, was wrested by Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the 2021 polls. However, the initial protests by PN, led by Dr Aleef Yusof, led to the seat not being allocated to the PN component.

BN and PN have now formed a coalition for the upcoming Melaka polls, with BN contesting 23 seats and PN aiming for the remaining five.