In Jerlun, a clash between two friends

GE14 | Incumbent Jerlun MP Othman Aziz said he still regards his GE14 challenger Mukhriz Mahathir of Pakatan Harapan as a friend despite their political differences.

"We are fine. We still greet each other. There is no problem [...] but we have to face each other now to uphold the struggles of our respective parties," he told Malaysiakini.

Othman said he was once a loyal follower of Mukhriz when the latter was the Jerlun Umno division head but that relationship had to be broken.

"Our struggle requires us to uphold the party that we think looks out for the public's interest," he said.

Mukhriz won the Jerlun seat in 2008. In the subsequent election, he stood as a state candidate and won the Ayer Hitam seat allowing Othman to succeed him at Jerlun.

Mukhriz resigned as menteri besar mid-term in 2016 before leaving Umno for Bersatu.

Also in the running for Jerlun is PAS' Abdul Ghani Ahmad.

Othman hoped the contest for Jerlun would be a professional one and expressed confidence that BN would do well in Kedah.

"We leave it to the people of Jerlun to evaluate what we have done over the past five years. I believe the people are mature.

"We can show a track record. I am confident the people will choose BN," he said. -Mkini