Nenggiri By-election: Mohd Azmawi Fikri No Stranger To Orang Asli Community, Villagers

GUA MUSANG, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Nenggiri state by-election Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani is no stranger to the Orang Asli community and the villagers here.

In fact, Tok Batin Ali Lateh of Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Lah said that the Kelantan UMNO Youth chief, affectionately known as Awi, is well-regarded by residents. They frequently sought his assistance with urgent or emergency matters, even before the by-election.

“The Orang Asli community here knows Awi very well, as he is a familiar presence. We like him a lot.

“For example, if an Orang Asli resident needed medical treatment in Kota Bharu, we would turn to him for help with transportation costs due to the long journey,” said a representative of the Mendriq tribe to Bernama.

Ali, 74, expressed hope that Mohd Azmawi Fikri will continue to serve the Orang Asli community in Kuala Lah with the same dedication if he wins the by-election.

The Nenggiri state seat has 20,259 registered voters with more than 2,500 of them being voters from the Temiar tribe, while more than 900 people are from the Mendriq tribe.

Kampung Bertam Lama resident Ismail Nik Mustapah said that Mohd Azmawi Fikri, who grew up in Gua Musang, frequently engaged with the local community to address their concerns.

“Awi is a good person. Despite his youth, he connects well with people of all ages. He doesn’t distinguish between supporters of blue (BN) or green (PAS); he listens to everyone’s issues,” said the 85-year-old Ismail.

Another Kampung Bertam Lama resident, Mohd Azhari Hasan, 58, said that Mohd Azmawi Fikri has been very accessible whenever residents face problems.

“Whenever I called him to assist someone who was unwell, if he couldn’t come immediately, he would visit the next day. He has been doing this for a long time, not just because he is running for by-election now,” he said.

In the upcoming by-election, Mohd Azmawi Fikri will take on Mohd Rizwadi Ismail of PAS.

This by-election is being called as the seat was declared vacant by Kelantan state assembly speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah on June 19, after Mohd Azizi Abu Naim ceased to be a member of Bersatu on June 13.

-- BERNAMA