“I respect Mahathir. But I still hope the voters will opt for BN. Thank you,” said Mastura at a press conference at her home yesterday.

Dr Mahathir is expected in Kuala Kangsar today in a show of support for Parti Amanah Negara candidate, physicist Dr Ahmad Termizi Ramli.

The former premier has said he would support any candidate who endorsed the Citizens’ Declaration that seeks to force Umno president and prime minister Najib Razak out of office.

At the press conference Mastura expressed her gratitude to Najib for approving two issues that she had pushed forward which, she said, had been warmly welcomed by voters in nearby Manong.

She thanked Najib for his announcement for speeding up construction of the Manong bridge. “I am thankful that the project which was fought for by my late husband Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan is finally coming true.

“The second issue was the raising of the status of University College Islam Sultan Azlan Shah to that of a full university.”

Other issues to be brought up were to widen the Manong-Kuala Kangsar road, raise Kuala Kangsar Hospital to specialist status, and to redevelop the Sungai Perak valley and river banks as a tourist attraction.

Wan Mohammad Khair-il, the sitting MP for Kuala Kangsar, died with five others in a helicopter crash in Sarawak last month.

Polling to fill his seat takes place on June 18. The other candidates in the by-election are Najihatussalehah Ahmad of PAS and independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary.