Melaka State Election: Chants of ‘Melaka Rumah Kita’ Accompany Adly Zahari’s Arrival

BUKIT KATIL: Chants of “Melaka Rumah Kita” (Melaka Our Home) echoed around Dewan Tun Ali here as Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Bukit Katil State Legislative Assembly seat, Adly Zahari, arrived for nomination day of the 16th Melaka State Election this morning.

Adly, who is also the Deputy Defence Minister, arrived accompanied by dozens of PH supporters who chanted the slogan while showing their support for the incumbent assemblyman.

Also accompanying him were Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) President and Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, as well as Angkatan Wanita Amanah Negara (AWAN) Chief Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu.

The presence of the two senior Amanah leaders also attracted attention as party supporters began gathering around the nomination centre early in the morning.

Adly, who previously led the Melaka state administration as Chief Minister from May 2018 to March 2020, has once again been entrusted with defending the Bukit Katil seat.

In the 2021 state election, he successfully retained the seat in a three-cornered contest involving candidates from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

However, the political landscape is different this time, as BN and PN reached a political understanding ahead of the 16th Melaka State Election, resulting in both coalitions coordinating their seat allocations.

PN is fielding Mohd Ridzuan Mohd Shariff from PAS to challenge Adly in Bukit Katil, while Parti Bersama has also nominated Dr Aliza Che Amran.

All three candidates were seen arriving at the nomination centre with their respective supporters. However, the final number of officially confirmed candidates will only be known after the nomination process is completed and announced by the Election Commission (EC).

The EC has set October 31 as nomination day, while Melaka voters will head to the polls on November 14.

Astro AWANI