Top guns for Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai

Source: Malaysiakini

There is no honeymoon for the Umno leaders who were elected into top leadership positions last night as they will immediately be tested in three upcoming by-elections.

Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and the three fresh vice-presidents have been tasked by the party boss Najib Abdul Razak to lead the BN campaign in the April 7 by-elections.

Muhyiddin said the by-elections will test if the party's effort to reform and restore waning public confidence in Umno with the election of new leaders will pay off.

"This is the time to go down and engage the electorates to convince them that the new Umno team is committed to change - a team that is opened to the views and the thinking of Malaysians from all walks of life.

"This new team is prepared to engage, sit down and talk (to the people), and not only that, we are a team that is ready to make the necessary amendments, so give us the chance," he told a press conference today.

"We'd like to tell the electorate in all three places that this new team is very much committed to change."

Muhyiddin said the three vice-presidents - Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Hussein and Shafie Apdal - have all been assigned a constituency each in the election campaign.

Zahid will be in charge of Bukit Gantang, Hishammuddin in Bukit Selambau and Shafie to take on Batang Ai.