AYER HITAM: Umno’s three wings – Wanita, Youth and Puteri – will have more of its leaders contesting in the Johor election as Barisan Nasional plots its strategy to win 13 out of 15 seats in the central region of the state.

       Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Johor voters could also expect more new faces who were professionals.

       “This poll is a game changer. The three wings will have a very significant role because we will field more candidates from among them.

       “There will also be professionals and incumbents will not be swept aside as they too will be fielded,” he said at a Barisan event here on Wednesday.

       Also present were MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and MIC vice president Datuk M. Asojan.

       Ahmad Zahid also reaffirmed that Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad was Barisan’s “poster boy” in the elections.

       Meanwhile Barisan’s election director for the polls Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who was also present at the event, said they targetted at least 13 out of the 15 seats in the central region.

       “We lost eight seats in GE14. For this election, we have set a key performance index (KPI) of winning 13 out of the 15 seats.

       “We need to retain the seven seats and win six more seats in the region,” he said.

       The seven seats won by Barisan in GE14 were Sri Medan, Semarang, Parit Raja, Machap, Layang-Layang, Kahang and Renggit.

       The remaining eight seats – Semerah, Yong Peng, Parit Yaani, Penggaram, Senggarang, Mengkibol, Mahkota and Paloh – were won by Pakatan Harapan.

       Mohamad, who is also Umno deputy president, reminded Barisan component parties to not quarrel over seat allocations which could affect their chances of winning.

       “Any issues on candidates should be put at the side. If there is any disagreement, leave it all aside for now.

       “Do not let small problems like these cause us to fight among ourselves and to lose the election. Do not sabotage the party just because you aren’t selected to contest in the election.

       “In GE14, we lost the election not because our enemies were strong but because of small things like these,” he said.