'Beng Hock and Interlok will not derail BN target'

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is unfazed by the opposition's attempts to raise the issues of Teoh Beng Hock's death and the controversial textbook ‘Interlok' at the Jan 30 by-election in Tenang.

Muhyiddin said he was confident the issues would not dent the BN's efforts to regain the 5,000-vote majority it won in the 2004 general election.

The BN's by-election commander-in-chief said the opposition would be hard pressed for real issues in the campaign, and would therefore resort to spreading lies.

"There are not many issues in Tenang. The land demands by the second generation of Felda settlers are being considered by the government," Muhyiddin told a press conference after this morning's nominations.

"In any by-election, there will always be new issues repeatedly played up by the opposition. They will look for one or create one that includes lies and slander.

"Although I don't think it will effect us, we cannot keep quiet. If they make false statements, we will have to explain ourselves, lest the voters believe them," he said when asked about Teoh Beng Hock and the novel ‘Interlok'.

‘Johor is an Umno fortress'

Muhyiddin did not let up on his earlier onslaught against PAS and continued to take swipes at the opposition party's ambition to set up an Islamic state.

"Ever since way back, PAS has refused to amend the party constitution on the Islamic state. The issue is still very much on their minds," he said.

At the same time, Muhyiddin said he did not want to underestimate Pakatan or PAS in by-election.

"Johor BN is one of the strongest and most powerful in Malaysia. Indeed, Johor is an Umno fortress. But having said that, we should not underestimate PAS just because this is an Umno area.

"We cannot take this lightly. I want all the BN leaders to see this as a big challenge and I want to see that the transformation programmes of the party president are accepted here.

"We cannot be ‘cincai' (sloppy) in our campaigning as we aim to get the highest majority possible," he said.

5,000 majority target within reach

Muhyiddin reiterated his target of a 5,000-vote majority in favour of BN from next Sunday's by-election.

Adding that the target was not some lofty figure plucked from the sky, he said voter sentiments today were quite different, compared with the 2008 general election.

"The last time (in the 2004 general election), we won a majority of more than 5,000. So it is a challenge for us to achieve a very specific target. This will be the key performance indicator for the party members in the area," he said, adding that the tide was turning against the 2008 ‘political tsunami'.

"There are some indications to that effect. Every time there is a by-election, we see a remarkable improvement in sentiment among the voters," he said.

BN won with a majority of 5,517 votes in the 2004 general election but that majority was slashed four years later to 2,492.

"Since 2008, there is a renewed confidence that BN is not finished and that the 1Malaysia concept is alive and accepted," Muhyiddin said.

Asked if he was tired of by-elections, with Tenang being the 14th since the 2008 general election, he said, "No, I'm not tired of by-elections.

"I'm energised in fact, although I don't like to face them one after another. But it's something we didn't expect. In a way, it's a blessing from God," he quipped.

The eight-day campaign for the Tenang state seat in northern Johor today took off after the nominations were completed this morning.

PAS candidate Normala Sudirman, 38, is squaring off against Umno's Mohd Azahar Ibrahim, 39, in a straight fight.