Ahmad said Chinese support is returning to BN because businessmen have been complaining that they are doing worse under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.

This, he said, augurs well for the BN candidate in the Tanjung Piai by-election on Nov 16.

“BN will only enter a by-election if we are confident we can win,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

BN had been expected to announce its candidate at a gathering in Pontian yesterday but held it off after hinting that its choice will be a “Johor local”.

It was decided that Johor BN chairman Hasni Mohammad will announce the candidate “at the most suitable time”.

Ahmad, who is also the Pontian MP, said “it was part of the party’s strategy” to not announce its candidate yesterday.

He said BN had never said it would announce its candidate at the gathering, which was “actually meant to be the launching of the Tanjung Piai by-election machinery”.

“We can announce our candidate any time before nomination day, so the announcement date depends on BN’s strategy,” he said.

Yesterday, Pakatan Harapan named PPBM Tanjung Piai division chief Karmaine Sardini, 66, as its candidate in the by-election.

Gerakan, which is also joining in the fray, announced today that its candidate will be party deputy secretary-general Wendy Subramaniam, 38.

The by-election was triggered by the death of PPBM’s Md Farid Md Rafik, 42, of heart complications on Sept 21.