Former Umno stalwart dreams of big win for PH in Permatang Berangan that will enable him to share his vast experience once again.
PPBM’s Permatang Berangan candidate Mohd Shariff Omar was Tasek Gelugor MP for three terms.
BUTTERWORTH: At the age of 70, most people would be thinking of retiring.
However, Shariff Omar is gearing himself to become one of Penang’s elected representatives.
The former Umno strongman was the Tasek Gelugor MP for three terms. However, this time around, he will be contesting as a PPBM candidate in the Permatang Berangan state seat.
This state seat comes under the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary constituency.
If he wins, Shariff is likely to be the oldest state assemblyman.
Shariff is no stranger to the Penang state assembly. He was the assemblyman for the same constituency between 1995 and 1999 and was picked to be Penang’s deputy chief minister.
In an interview with FMT, Shariff said he was looking forward to returning to the state assembly and to share his immense experience.
“I hope to bring some maturity to our Penang state assembly. I have worn many different hats in my life, after all.
“People have asked me: ‘You are still around?’. I just tell them, there must be a reason why I am still around.”
Shariff was the Tasek Gelugor MP from 1990 to 1995 and from 1999 to 2008. He also served as deputy agriculture and agro-based industries minister.
In the 2013 polls, he was dropped by Umno and decided to stand as an independent candidate in Tasek Gelugor but lost. The party sacked him for doing so.
He joined PPBM in 2016 together with his good friend and former Umno stalwart, Jasmin Mohamed. Jasmin was once Sungai Dua state assemblyman.
The Tasek Gelugor seat has remained a BN stronghold, along with the state seats of Permatang Berangan, Sungai Dua and Telok Ayer Tawar.
But Shariff said things were a little “shaky” for BN now as the support for the party had dropped significantly.
A campaign poster featuring Shariff Omar in Tasek Gelugor.
“People have changed. They are suffering, I know. I still meet my constituents despite not holding any position.
“Just go to the market today. A kilo of beef used to cost RM8 to RM12. Today, it is RM33 a kilo,” Shariff said.
Shariff vowed to work hard for all races and pledged to fight for affirmative action for the needy.
He said one of his plans was to get a burial ground for the Indian community in Tasek Gelugor.
Shariff will go up against BN’s Nor Hafizah Othman, PAS’ Mohd Sobri Saleh and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Azman Shah Othman for the Permatang Berangan state seat.
The seat’s incumbent from BN, Omar Abd Hamid, was dropped by the coalition.
The Permatang Berangan seat has 21,166 registered voters, with 84.8% Malays, 7% Chinese and 7% Indians.
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