Ceramah finale: Harapan, PN hammers Najib and graft, BN touts renewal

 

MALACCA POLLS | The three major coalitions made their final pitch for the Malacca polls tonight with a series of virtual events amid the Covid-19 pandemic with Pakatan Harapan and PN accusing each other, including BN, of corruption.

Meanwhile, BN touted itself with the coalition's track record in developing the country for the past decades and also stressed that it was not a "dinosaur" afraid of renewal.

The Harapan leadership, in their virtual ceramah tonight, went to town with the government's approval in principle to grant ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, who has been convicted of corruption, abuse of power and criminal breach of trust, a residence estimated at RM100 million.

Najib had since announced that he was withdrawing his request for the perk as a former prime minister as he did not want it to become a campaign issue in the Malacca polls.

But that did not stop Harapan leaders from hammering the issue, declaring that it was only with the people's outrage that Najib decided to withdraw the request and the same spirit should be emulated in the Malacca polls to stop corruption.

"I do not want to get personal but this is about the people's money... It is only when the people rose up that he was forced to withdraw the request," said Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim.

He added that both PN and BN leaders in the cabinet should be held responsible for approving the request in the first place.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng suggested that Najib's withdrawal was only to avoid controversy as Malaccans will go to the polls tomorrow but could renew his bid for the luxurious reward after the election.

'RM100mil for Najib and Ismail Sabri's out'

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu declared that Harapan will seek the ouster of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob if the BN-PN federal government proceeded with the award to Najib.

"We did not want to see the prime minister changing every year so we were willing to enter into an understanding with the government on condition that they fund billions to help the people and economy in order to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We were willing to cooperate and remain in the opposition... but suddenly we hear they want to give RM100 million to Najib... We will fight to the end if the government gives Najib RM100 million.

"If you give Najib RM100 million, then Ismail Sabri, you are out!" he said.

Meanwhile, PN's ceramah, too, touted an anti-corruption message but ignored the Najib controversy which it had been accused of being partially responsible for.

Instead, Gerakan president Dominic Lau zoomed in on Lim's corruption case on the Penang undersea tunnel, which trial is still ongoing.

Muhyiddin also questioned why PN candidates contesting in the Malacca polls could sign an anti-corruption pledge but BN and Harapan did not follow suit.

"We did it but other parties did not, this is something Malaccans should consider," he said.

Pledging to pursue good governance, Muhyiddin said a PN state government will also pursue various allegations of corruption in Malacca involving sand mining and other natural resources.

PN wants to probe graft

"This is an important issue and our woman chief ministerial candidate (Mas Ermieyati Samsudin) will look into the land, sand and ore that have been misused until they have become a scandal.

"If the concessions were given irresponsibly, it’s too long or they have failed to pay royalty, they will be terminated so that the rights of Malaccans can be restored," he said.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, meanwhile, played the religious and racial card, describing Harapan as a party of extremists.

He also pointed out that the May 13, 1969 riots happened in Kuala Lumpur but not in east coast Peninsular Malaysia where there is a huge Malay majority.

BN did not have a main ceramah finale but several separate virtual events, one of them include an interview of Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan who is leading election operations for BN in the Malacca polls.

Mohamad touted the many investments BN was able to bring when it controlled a super majority for decades.

"When BN won a two-thirds majority, the country became a destination for investments... We have the track record," he said.

Mohamad added that despite the coalition’s long history, it is also receptive to change, fielding mostly new faces in the Malacca polls.

"It is a transformation of the party according to the times. It is a risk we are taking but the people want to see changes. We do not want to be a dinosaur that cannot change," he said.

BN touts track record

In contrast, he said Harapan failed to fulfil its promises when it was in government from 2018 to 2020.

Likewise, he said the PN government under Muhyiddin too could not achieve anything in its 19 months in power until August this year.

"The excuse given was Covid-19 but other countries were suffering from Covid-19 too. Indonesia had more Covid-19 cases than us but investors were racing to enter the country.

"Thailand too was impacted but they managed to attract a lot of investments because they have a stable government and good policies," he said.

Both Harapan and PN too touted stability, asking voters to give them a strong majority in order to form a stable government.

But with three of the major coalitions touting the same message of stability, analysts have suggested that votes may be split and a majority, if there is one, would be slim.

Malaccans will go to the polls tomorrow to elect 28 representatives to the state assembly. A minimum of 15 seats is needed for a simple majority. - Mkini