Umno Ampang permanent chairperson Zulkifli Muhamad today said that even though the Ampang parliamentary seat was new, Barisan Nasional (BN) will have no problems winning it given the encouraging response from the locals.

"Even though Dr Ruzaidah Talib is a new candidate, she is a doctor and an Umno Wanita leader. She can prove herself given the chance," he said.

Ruzaidah is in a straight fight with Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (Keadilan) Dr A Xavier Jayakumar for the seat which has a Malay majority.

Zulkifli claimed that the opposition does not have an objective other than to release former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim from prison.

Regarding corruption, he said that it occurred everywhere but was under control now. "Corruption is like cancer, we can only prevent it but not cure it," he said.

Jeyakumar confident

Jeyakumar (right), when met, said he was confident of garnering enough votes to grab the seat for the opposition.

"The response I've got from the residents here indicate they want a strong opposition in parliament. So far, I've done my best and I stand by my slogan which is 'Without Opposition, No Democracy," he said.

Several people interviewed echoed the sentiment that the BN had a better chance of winning the new parliamentary seat created in the recent re-delineation exercise.

Nur Hisham Mohammad Ghazali, 34, a taxi driver, observes that BN will win in Ampang as "the opposition has got no issues against the BN."

He however felt that Keadilan may win more seats overall compared to the last election in 1999.