“I think his record and background make him unsuited to the culture of Selangor’s people. We can see from the way he speaks that he is not the right personality to drive Selangor forward.
“We need a culture and attitude which can help mould good character for the future,” he told FMT.
He was asked to comment on a Malaysiakini report that Amanah proposed to field its president, better known as Mat Sabu, as a candidate for the Kota Raja parliamentary and Taman Templer state seats.
The proposal is seen as a strategy by Amanah to ride on Mat Sabu’s popularity to win seats and replace PAS in the state government after GE14.
“All this while we in Umno have not given much attention to Mat Sabu because he is just an ordinary politician,” said Mat Nadzari.
Mat Sabu became an MP in 1990 after winning the Nilam Puri seat in Kelantan. He was elected to the Kubang Kerian seat in the same state in 1995 but moved to Kedah in 1999 where he won in Kuala Kedah.
However, he failed to retain Kuala Kedah in 2004 and was defeated in the 2008 and 2013 general elections in Kuala Terengganu and Pendang.
Meanwhile, associate professor Faisal Hazis of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia believed it would be difficult for Amanah to win in Selangor in GE14.
He said Amanah was a new party formed by PAS dissidents and its leaders had won their seats on the PAS ticket.
“Now that they are no longer with PAS and facing 3-cornered fights, there is no guarantee they will succeed. Even Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad is not certain of being able to retain his seat in GE14, what more with Mat Sabu.
“I think it will be difficult for Amanah to challenge PAS and other parties, especially in 3-cornered contests,” he said.