MAHKOTA BY-ELECTION | Johor Umno should ask Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh to publicly apologise for his offensive remarks against the Malaysian Chinese community if it hopes to win the by-election, said a DAP leader.
DAP central committee member Lee Chin Chen said Johor Umno should also be pragmatic and engage with voters rather than worsen the situation by sowing divisions with labels and accusations.
“Umno should reflect on the behaviour of its members and stop shifting blame to Chinese voters and DAP.
“If (Johor BN deputy chief Nur Jazlan Mohamed) is willing to go to the grassroots and listen to Johor’s Chinese voters’ honest opinions on Akmal, he will soon understand why the election atmosphere is so tense this time around,” he said in a statement today.
Lee said this after Nur Jazlan wrote a Facebook post pressuring DAP to ensure Chinese voters turn up to cast their ballots at the Mahkota by-election on Saturday.
He also claimed this would be an easy task for the party and its network of cyber troopers.
He also claimed a group of Chinese voters are “opportunistic” in casting their ballots, and if they can’t be swayed by BN’s Chinese-speaking candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah, then perhaps they are not interested in voting for non-Chinese candidates.
Akmal looms over Chinese voters
Rebutting Nur Jazlan, Lee said if Chinese turnout was low on polling day, it would have been undoubtedly caused by Akmal’s “extreme behaviour”.
“Although the DAP has widespread support within the Chinese community, Chinese voters have never been a vote bank for any political party.
“They have independent judgment, and in this Mahkota by-election, the clear reason for the discontent is Akmal’s racial rhetoric,” he added.
Lee also refuted Nur Jazlan’s claim that Chinese voters are not interested in voting for non-Chinese candidates.
As example, he said Umno and DAP had successfully cooperated during last year’s by-elections and state elections, where many Chinese voters had no issue voting for non-Chinese candidates.
Chinese turnout could be deciding factor
At the Mahkota by-election, Syed Hussien, who is the Kluang Umno Youth chief and alumnus of a Chinese vernacular school, is facing Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Haizan Jaafar in a straight fight.
About 35 percent of the Mahkota electorate are Chinese, 54 percent Malay, and eight percent Indian.
The Chinese vote could make or break BN’s bid to defend the seat, and there have been persistent concerns that turnout among the community may be low.
One major factor is perceived unhappiness among the Chinese towards Akmal’s attacks on Seputeh MP Teresa Kok over the halal certificate issue.
Kok had raised concerns about a proposal to make halal certification mandatory for eateries that don’t sell pork and alcohol, saying it would be a burden to businesses.
Akmal, in response, told the DAP lawmaker to stay out of Islamic matters and threatened to paste a “non-halal” logo on her forehead.
Kok is suing Akmal, while the government has decided to scrap the mandatory certification proposal.
- Mkini
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