'Don't vote Keling' banner in Rantau - Mat Hasan denies it's BN

RANTAU POLLS | Banners have appeared urging Rantau voters not to support a "keling".

The banners bear the image of Pakatan Harapan candidate Dr S Streram, while also showing a crossed box beside the BN logo.

BN candidate Mohamad Hasan has denied this is the coalition’s work and claimed it was a reverse psychology move by PKR.

The banner, which was allegedly put up in at least three locations, bears a message written in a mix of the Negeri Sembilan Malay dialect and a Minangkabau dialect.

It reads: "Don't vote for a keling. This tanah adat (heritage land) is our land. Don't give him power. Come rise Negeri Malays. Let us shake him up. Prove we are true sons of Rantau."

Harapan is lodging a police report over the banners.

At a separate press conference, Mohamad said the banners were self-provocation aimed at tarnishing BN.

"This is provocation that they did themselves. This is how they do psychological warfare," he said.

The former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar said it made no sense for him to fish for Malay votes this way, while also alienating Indian voters.

This he says, is because he already has "90 percent" of the Malay vote, and is working hard to get the support of Indians.

"It would be stupid of me to do this," he said.

He urged the police and the Election Commission to take action against those responsible.

Mohamad also noted an oddity with the use of the Minangkabau dialect.

He said this was because there are no Minangkabau people in Rantau, with the Malay residents mostly of Bugis heritage.

26 percent of Rantau voters are Indian, while 55 percent are Malay. About 18.5 percent are Chinese. 

The Rantau by-election is a four-corned fight between Streram, Mohamad, and independent candidates R Malar and Mohd Nor Yassin.

The polling day for the Rantau by-election is April 13. - Mkini