Former Johor footballer becomes PN’s candidate in Mahkota by-election

KLUANG: Former Johor footballer Mohamad Haizan Jaafar has been selected as Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) candidate for the upcoming by-election in the Mahkota State Assembly (DUN) on September 28.

According to Berita Harian, PN Secretary-General Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin announced the candidate who will represent the coalition in front of party machinery at the PN DUN Mahkota Main Operations Room in Kampung Melayu tonight.

Hamzah stated that Mohamad Haizan, affectionately known as ‘Coach Haizan’, 61, is a native of Layang-Layang, Renggam, and holds a Diploma in Fitness from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

“Coach Haizan is well-known among the community in this district and has previously won the Excellent Public Service Award in 2002 and 2016 while serving as a sports assistant.

“Additionally, he has represented Johor in various tournaments, including the Johor President’s Cup, Johor Razak Cup, and the Johor Sultan’s Gold Cup,” he said.

Also present were BERSATU Selangor Chief and BERSATU Supreme Leadership Council member Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali; BERSATU Johor State Leadership Body (BPN) Chairman Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal; and PAS Johor Commissioner Abdullah Husin.

Previously, media reports mentioned that Coach Haizan, who is also a member of the BERSATU Kluang Division Committee; Mohamad Nor Lingan, 48, the Chief of the BERSATU Kluang Division; and Dzulkarnain Alias, the Deputy Chief of the BERSATU Kluang Division, were among the names being considered by PN for the Mahkota DUN by-election.

On August 4, Johor DUN Speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi announced the vacancy of the Mahkota DUN seat following the death of its incumbent, the late Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, on August 2.

The Election Commission (EC) has set the nomination and early voting dates for the Mahkota DUN by-election on September 14 and 24 respectively, with polling day on September 28.