He emphasised that every party in the unity government should adopt a give-and-take approach in the selection of candidates to ensure victory in the election.

“Political strategy includes, among other things, the candidates, suitability of the constituency and whether we have a suitable leader in that constituency.

“If we (the party) don’t have a suitable candidate in a constituency, but there is a better candidate in the unity government (coalition parties), perhaps we have to give-and-take and be dynamic.

“Just because we (previously) won the seat does not mean we should stop others from participating,” he told reporters after officiating the Bentong Umno division meeting here today.

Meanwhile, Johari, who is also the plantation and commodities minister, said the identified election candidates should be given training to engage with the community, including playing an “opposition” role in constituencies where the elected representatives appear to be lacking in their responsibilities.

Asked about the Nenggiri state by-election in Kelantan, Johari said that Umno was examining the background of the constituency.

“Umno has decided to contest, and once we identify our candidate, we will provide more details.

“We have a team in Umno conducting background research on the constituency and other relevant factors,” said Johari.

The Election Commission (EC) has set Aug 17 as the polling day for the Nenggiri state by-election. Nominations will be held on Aug 3 and early voting on Aug 13.

The casual vacancy for Nenggiri was announced after the Kelantan state assembly received a written notice, in accordance with Clause (3) of Article 31A of the Kelantan constitution, that Nenggiri assemblyman Azizi Abu Naim had ceased to be a Bersatu member.

Azizi’s Bersatu membership had been revoked, and the seat was declared vacant by Kelantan state assembly speaker Amar Abdullah on June 19.