MELAKA: Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani took a break from the campaign trail today to join residents of Kampung Bukit Godek, Semabok, for a friendly game of checkers, locally known as dam haji.
The light-hearted match saw Johari displaying his skills at the traditional board game, even beating a local resident.
He was visiting the village with Barisan Nasional Duyong candidate Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem as part of the coalition’s campaign for the Melaka state election.
Helmy said the impromptu match gave residents a glimpse of Johari’s down-to-earth personality and his kampung roots.
“Datuk Johari came here and played dam haji with the villagers. He even won the match.
“It showed his true personality, the kampung side of him from his younger days,” he said.
Earlier today, Johari attended a briefing with BN election machinery for the Ayer Molek and Pengkalan Batu constituencies.
Also present were BN’s Ayer Molek candidate Datuk Mohd Ridhwan Mohd Ali and Pengkalan Batu candidate Siti Aisyah Mahmood.
Helmy is defending the Duyong seat against Pakatan Harapan’s Poo Long Suan.
In the 2021 Melaka state election, Helmy won the seat with 4,684 votes, securing a slim majority of 200.