WITH DR MAHATHIR SET TO CAMPAIGN IN CAMERONS TODAY, MUHYIDDIN CONFIDENT – EVEN AS GUAN ENG WARNS PAHANG FOLK: UMNO-BN HAS DRIVEN YOUR STATE ALMOST TO BANKRUPTCY & STILL YOU WANT TO VOTE FOR THEM?

LIPIS – PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin has dismissed claims that Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not confident that the coalition’s candidate, M Manogaran, can win in the Cameron Highlands by-election on Saturday.

He said Mahathir took a serious view of the by-election and would turn up on Friday to campaign for PH.

“The prime minister usually does not take part in small campaigns like this, but he clearly feels that this by-election is important.

“Since we are contesting here, surely the community and voters want to hear the message from him as the prime minister,” he told reporters after performing the maghrib and ishak prayers at the Sungai Koyan mosque here yesterday.

Mahathir is scheduled to be there from 11am to 2pm today, to meet the people of Sungai Koyan at Dataran Sungai Koyan 1 before ending his trip by performing the Friday prayers at the Al-Muhajirin mosque.

When asked about claims by Pahang PKR chairman Fuziah Salleh that tok batin or Orang Asli chiefs in the villages had been “kidnapped” by certain parties, thus hampering PH’s campaigns in their settlements, Muhyiddin said no investigation had been launched since no police reports were lodged.

“During campaigning, all kinds of things can happen. But if there is no proof and no basis, or even reports lodged with the authorities, no investigation can take place.

“So we do not know the actual situation,” said Muhyiddin, who is also the home minister. – FMT

With just a day till polling, Pakatan appeals to voters to reject BN’s racist rhetoric

ALTHOUGH he voted for Barisan Nasional in the past, Halim Sadat gamely attended a Pakatan Harapan ceramah to see what the ruling coalition has to offer. But what he heard left him less than impressed.

“Some of what they said had basis, but there were some things that I do not know whether to believe or not,” said the 55 year-old farmer after last night’s ceramah, which was held in his neighbourhood in Sungai Koyan Satu, Jelai.

“This is because they have not fulfilled their promises. That’s what’s most important to the people, regardless of which party it is.”

Halim’s views reflect the odds against PH as it tries to win over Malay Muslim voters in the rural state constituency of Jelai, the main battleground for the Malay vote in the Cameron Highlands by-election.

Jelai is one half of Cameron Highlands and very much a BN stronghold, as seen in the coalition’s high winning majority of 3,507 in GE14.

To win Cameron Highlands, PH strategist Dr Ong Kian Ming said PH will have to increase Malay Muslim support to at least 30% from the 9% it received in GE14.

The ceramah, PH’s last pitch in the final 48 hours before Cameron Highlands goes to the poll, saw top guns such as Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Amanah leaders speaking to persuade Malay voters to ignore BN’s racist rhetoric and vote for the coalition that can make their lives better.

“We can do a better job than BN because we are clean. We don’t take the people’s money and because of that we can manage the economy better than BN,” said Lim.

Lim, who was making his third visit to Jelai, urged voters to reject the racist narrative of BN and PAS and to look at the facts instead, such as the Pahang government’s inability to manage the state due to its RM3.1 billion debt, as well as the state’s budget deficits every year since 2014.

“They drive the state almost to bankruptcy, they make the people suffer and they blame us. BN does not know how to manage well. This is why they play up extremist issues of race and religion.”

“But can racist sentiments solve economic problems? I ask you ladies and gentlemen to consider this. Please give us more time to repair the economy.”

Lim said a win for BN would be a win for ex-prime minister Najib Razak, who is facing 38 charges of fraud, money laundering and power abuse related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

“He is the real BN candidate in this by-election, having been foremost in BN’s by-election campaign.”

Amanah leader Mohd Hanipa Maidin urged PAS supporters to disregard the party stance and vote instead for the government.

“The 3,500 votes that PAS received in GE14 could make a difference in Cameron Highlands which was won by a majority of less than 600 votes,” he said.

Amanah Youth vice-chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin said PAS members should not forget the decades of discrimination from Umno just because the PAS leaders say they must.

“I was once a PAS member. I know that PAS members who were small-time businessmen were boycotted by Umno members and supporters,” said Shazni.

“I ask PAS members to remember why you fought Umno for decades. I appeal to you to continue this struggle against Umno and BN and defeat them in the Cameron Highlands by-election.” — https://www.themalaysianinsight.com

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