KUALA KRAI: Voters from outside, must consider the plight and needs of the locals in Manik Urai, especially in areas of development, when casting their votes in the by-election tomorrow said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin said though national issues may be of concern to them, those involving development in Manik Urai must also be given priority.

"They must look at the local issues which are of more concern since Manik Urai is in dire need for development and they (voters) can see the conditions themselves.

"I am confident that outstation voters can see Barisan Nasional's (BN) capabilities before deciding on who to vote," he told reporters attending a briefing on preparations at the BN operations centre in Sungai Sok Luar here Monday.

Tomorrow, 12,293 registered voters will head to the polling stations to pick their candidates for the Manik Urai state assembly seat contested by Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39 from BN Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, 50, from PAS.

Muhyiddin said that it was his sincere hope that the people of Manik Urai who hunger for continued support from the federal government would not be left behind in the race for development.

He added that the leadership and administration concept of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak with the "People First" slogan and his successful 100 days in office would convince the voters.

"If given the mandate by the people, the Federal government will fulfill the promises and expectations of the Manik Urai people," he said.

Muhyiddin who is also the Umno deputy president, wants voters to make a wise choice when picking their candidate, especially when BN had already outlined its commitment in developing Manik Urai.

"Voters need not worry and should come out in full force to vote. We are hoping for a high percentage of voters and hope the voting process will go on smoothly without any untoward incidents," he said.

Muhyiddin said he was happy and satisfied with the hard work put in by the BN election machinery under Kelantan Umno liaison chief Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, because their efforts had increased the peoples' support for BN.

"I am satisfied with the work done and hope voters will pick Tuan Aziz tomorrow," said Muhyiddin adding that the public holiday announcement by the Kelantan government was their prerogative but was rather unusual considering tomorrow is the by-election for Manik Urai.

An increase in support for BN among the younger generation was another positive development in Manik Urai and it could be because of the peoples' acceptance of the 1Malaysia concept introduced by Najib, he said.(Bernama)