Two ex-Malacca CMs want politics to look beyond race

With less than a month to go before the Malacca election, two former chief ministers and re-election hopefuls have argued for the need to look beyond race when governing.

At a talk show last night, former Sungai Udang assemblyperson Idris Haron (above) said discriminatory policies when servicing constituents will only limit a party's appeal.

Idris shared an anecdote where he was arranged to present a wheelchair to a needy person only to find out that the neighbour too was in need of a wheelchair but was ignored by the organiser of the event.

"I asked why and was told that the person was not an Umno member," he said.

Such issues, said Idris, resulted in some parties losing support.

"Hungry or sick people are all the same. Race does not matter. The people's interest should come first, not politics," he said.

Idris said he hoped the Malacca legislative assembly will be adequately representative of the state's demography to ensure that all sections of society are represented.

Meanwhile, former Bukit Katil assemblyperson Adly Zahari said welfare aid should not be seen through a racial lens.

"A big issue is how we treat the people based on race even though we know that we should give our best to the people regardless of their skin colour or religion.

"This is because they are all people of Malacca," said Adly.

Former Bukit Katil assemblyperson Adly Zahari

Idris and Adly - who led opposing teams during the 2018 general election in Malacca - were guests last night at a talk show hosted by the TV Dinamika YouTube channel.

This time around, there is a possibility that Idris and Adly might be on the same team as the former is seeking to be a Pakatan Harapan candidate.

Idris was among four assemblypersons who earlier this month withdrew support for Sulaiman Md Ali to serve as chief minister. Sulaiman responded by requesting governor Mohd Ali Rustam to dissolve the state assembly.

Following this, Idris and Nor Azman Hassan were both sacked from Umno. However, many Harapan leaders have disagreed with him joining the pact.

Malacca will go to the polls on Nov 20.

During the talk show, Idris stressed that he did not defect from Umno and his role in the fall of the Sulaiman administration was limited to a withdrawal of support.

"It is the same as when 12 MPs from Umno withdrew support for Muhyiddin Yassin, forcing the latter to step down as prime minister," he said.

Idris said he and the three others could no longer stomach Sulaiman's alleged wrongdoings, including allowing interference by former Malacca legislative assembly speaker and Malacca Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusof. - Mkini