Anwar takes thinly-veiled dig at MCA in Johor campaign

 PH chairman says he would rather be friends with DAP than MCA as the former is 'safer, better and has more integrity'.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim speaking to about 1,000 voters at a Pakatan Harapan ceramah in Taman Pelangi Indah in Johor Bahru last night.

JOHOR BAHRU:

Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim took a thinly-veiled dig at MCA during a ceramah last night, saying he would rather be friends with DAP than the Barisan Nasional (BN) component.

Speaking to about 1,000 voters in Taman Pelangi Indah here, Anwar claimed DAP had greater integrity than MCA.

“People say I’m friends with DAP. For me, DAP is safer, better and has more integrity than their (BN’s) Chinese party,” he said in his speech, drawing applause from the crowd.

Although Anwar did not identify the party in question, his remarks were widely understood to be in reference to MCA, DAP’s long-time political rival.

The prime minister challenged MCA’s record on issues affecting the Chinese community, including the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), while defending his government’s support for Chinese education and businesses.

“How many years has MCA been shouting about the UEC? Who solved it? We in the unity government did, not MCA.”

Anwar was believed to be referring to the new entry pathways for UEC graduates to public higher learning institutions, which the higher education ministry previously said did not amount to recognition of the UEC’s syllabus.

He also defended the government’s support for Chinese businesses, saying PH’s objective was to support and generate jobs for Malaysians of all races.

“For the first time in history, (the PH-led federal government) has directly stated: do not stop the development of Chinese businesses.

“After all, the majority of those working at these SMEs are Malays,” he said, adding that the government continued to look after the Malay and Indian communities through various schemes and programmes. - FMT