TG PIAI POLLS | MCA and Pakatan Harapan competed for Chinese audiences in Pekan Nanas town last night, as campaigning for the Tanjung Piai by-election entered the second week.
The competing ceramahs were a six-minute walk apart, with MCA holding theirs in front of the Pekan Nanas public market, and Harapan's was in front of the Yu Ming Chinese national school.
In terms of crowd size, MCA drew more than 600 people, a third of whom were clad in party uniforms to listen to party leaders including president Wee Ka Siong, deputy president Mah Hang Soon, and youth chief Nicole Wong.
Harapan, on the other hand, drew a smaller crowd of about 300 at their ceramah despite big guns such as DAP's Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng, and Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir being on the cards.
A separate Harapan ceramah a 25-minute drive away in Pontian town drew about 100 people.
The spirit of the crowds was also significantly different. Comparable to the peak of Harapan-mania before the 14th general election, the MCA crowd was highly energetic.
When the BN candidate Wee Jeck Seng arrived, the exuberant crowd mobbed him and it took the two-term MP almost 10 minutes to get from the entrance to the stage.
Harapan's crowd, however, was not so enthusiastic. While some were responsive, even key speakers like Kit Siang - whose speeches in the past would be met with roaring chants of agreement and support - failed to fire up the crowd.
One of his trademark ways of triggering a crowd response by asking them "shi bu shi" (yes or no) failed several times to incite a reaction.
However, the crowd did perk up later in the night for Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub and Guan Eng.
Salahuddin got enthusiastic claps when he stressed that Malaysia belonged to all its people, and politics should not revolve around race.
"I don't want to say that Wee is Chinese, you are Malay, this is not about Chinese or Malay politics, this is not the politics of ‘you are Muslim, I am not', this new politics that safeguards all religions, all races, and all interests," he said to cheers.
The agriculture minister also tackled the controversy of teaching Jawi khat in Chinese schools, saying the cabinet had made a decision that Muslims can't force non-Muslims to learn it.
He also said there are now many Malays in Chinese schools, and they should be given the opportunity to learn Jawi, which the crowd members agreed with.
Guan Eng, meanwhile, said he understood there were concerns in the Chinese community that they may not be able to communicate effectively with Harapan candidate Karmaine Sardini if they needed government assistance.
However, he said that if Karmaine were to win, Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong will be deployed to assist the Bersatu man.
"If there are any issues, Liew has a direct line to me, the finance minister," he said.
Meanwhile, over at the MCA ceramah, the crowd was deeply enthralled with their candidate's speech, cheering after almost every line.
One of the highlights of his speech was when he took a swing at Pekan Nanas assemblyperson Yeo Tung Siong from DAP.
"Before the general election, Yeo attacked me, saying I had a lot of allocations but never repaired the roads.
"Now there is a by-election, and all the ministers we have never met is here. So where is the money for these roads? Yeo must explain this," he said to loud cheers.
A portion of the crowd left after Jeck Seng's speech, and those who remained were less enthusiastic when Ka Siong took the stage to deliver a one-hour speech.
However, they perked up and started cheering again when the MCA president started attacking DAP.
"In front of Bersatu and (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad, DAP only knows to say yes.
"They have 42 seats, but don't dare to fight Bersatu - half of whose MPs are frogs," he said.
He also jabbed at Kit Siang for declining to address Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faisal Azumu's on-camera remarks disparaging DAP until after the by-election is over. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.