PEKAN (July 5): Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Mohd Sharim Md Zain, who was announced as the winner of the Chini by-election yesterday evening, is looking to ensure no one in the constituency is left behind by the government.

Stating that his ‘time to work' had begun as soon as the results were announced, Mohd Sharim, 41, said his main mission was to resolve the problems faced by the Chini constituents and that he would meet with all local community leaders to do so.

Acknowledging the fact he was still a rookie in terms of politics, Mohd Sharim, a second-generation settler from Felda Chini 3 said he was ready to learn and intends to make Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak his mentors.

"Alhamdulillah, it all ended well for BN. Now is the time to learn and work. I urge to be given the time to adjust (to my new role) as I had never even dreamed of being picked (as a candidate) prior to this.

"However, I promise to do my best, and request everyone to pray for me to continue the struggle," he said when met by Bernama at the vote-tallying centre at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) Pekan here yesterday evening.

Mohd Sharim arrived at IKBN at around 8.45 pm accompanied by UMNO leaders including Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Wan Rosdy, Najib, Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan to celebrate his victory.

He also thanked all the voters who gave him a landslide victory with a majority of 12,650 votes, something beyond his expectations. He said the huge total would not be possible if the voters who were staying outstation did not return home to fulfill their obligation, and he was personally overwhelmed by the support.

Mohd Sharim also expressed his deep gratitude to the election machinery which not only involved BN, but also PAS as part of the cooperation under the ‘Muafakat Nasional’ and ‘Perikatan Nasional’.

"They have been working tirelessly for the past two weeks to secure victory for BN. Despite only being challenged by Independent candidates, we have always adhered to the party's top leadership not to be ignorant or look down on their (opponents’) abilities.

"The spirit of solidarity has been fruitful tonight as BN has won with a very huge majority, and this proves that nothing is impossible if we all work together," he said.

In the by-election tonight, Mohd Sharim defended the BN seat after garnering 13,872 votes to defeat two Independent candidates, namely Tengku Datuk Zainul Hisham Tengku Hussin, 64, who received 1,222 votes, and Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli who got 137 votes.

Both the Independent candidates lost their deposit amounts.

The Chini state assembly was held following the death of incumbent UMNO assemblyman Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Harun, 60, on May 7, due to a heart attack.