Noh Omar confirms sitting out state polls, will campaign for Pakatan to lose Selangor

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — Former Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) chief Tan Sri Noh Omar has confirmed he will not be running for public office in any of the coming six state elections.

Instead, the former Tanjung Karang MP who was sacked from Umno in January said he will campaign against BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) which are now allies to ensure the ruling parties lose Selangor, Sinar Ahad, the Sunday edition of Sinar Harian, reported today.

“I will not contest in the state elections, I feel it’s enough for now and want to give new faces a chance because in Selangor there are many young and influential leaders who can be fielded.

“But I will go down to the ground to campaign to continue my fight to defeat PH in Selangor after BN lost in the 2008 general election,” he was quoted as saying after the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Opposition coalition’s election machinery launch in Bangi last night.

Noh was also reported saying PN has a strong chance to wrest Selangor if it were a straight fight against the PH-BN alliance.

“That’s why when I was Umno liaison chairman, I told the leaders to ensure there would not be a three-cornered fight in Selangor, that is BN, PH, and PAS, because it would be a loss for the party.

“I have said we have to find a way to avoid three-cornered fights and now my prediction is proven with PH’s victory, while PAS and BN will lose in Selangor like what happened in GE14,” he was quoted as saying.

Speculations were rife that PN would field Noh, a former Umno warlord, in the Selangor state election after PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Hashim Jasin made the suggestion last week.

Hashim was reported by another Malay daily Utusan Malaysia as saying on June 13 that Noh, along with another sacked Umno former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, would make good candidates for PN to take Selangor as “they have a large following” and could help the Opposition coalition sway voters “who are angry with PH and Umno”.