Nur Jazlan pays surprise visit to DAP ceramah

JOHOR BARU- Despite being from the other side of the political divide, Barisan Nasional candidate for the Pulai parliament seat Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed showed up at a DAP ceramah at Susur 4, Jalan Tun Razak, here, recently.

His presence at the ceramah shocked most of those who were present, including members of the opposition parties, the public and reporters.

Nur Jazlan arrived at 10.15pm, as newly appointed opposition coalition adviser Datuk Zaid Ibrahim was giving a speech.

Several people asked to be photographed with him.

Nur Jazlan, who spent about 15 minutes there, said his presence at the ceramah proved that democracy exists in Johor and there was healthy competition among the political parties.

"For me, it is alright to attend any ceramah, regardless of whether it is organised by BN or the opposition," he said.

Nur Jazlan said the visit was part of his campaign as the location was within the Pulai parliamentary constituency where he is defending his seat against Pas vice-president Salahuddin Ayub.

In 2008, Nur Jazlan won the Pulai parliamentary seat with a 38,036-vote majority, defeating Pas candidate Abdullah Idris.

"All the speakers are known to me. Some were my former colleagues in Parliament.

"So, I did not think it was a problem for me to pay a visit," said the Pulai BN chief.

Nur Jazlan said the ceramah allowed voters to decide which sides to vote for.

But, he also pointed out that the ceramah was only a platform for the opposition coalition to give false hopes to the people as they had failed to fulfill their promises after taking over several states during the last general election.

- New Straits Times