Johor PH manifesto ‘looks like others’ but not the same

 

Johor Amanah chief Aminolhuda Hassan and state DAP chief Liew Chin Tong at the unveiling of the PH manifesto in Batu Pahat today.

BATU PAHAT: Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) manifesto for the Johor elections may look similar to those of other coalitions, but Johor Amanah chief Aminolhuda Hassan maintains that its pledges are different.

In a press conference after launching the coalition’s manifesto, Aminolhuda said PH’s offer to Johoreans included the revival of several initiatives that were ended following the coalition’s exit from the state government.

He said PH had pledged several initiatives at the 2018 general election, which the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration had failed to offer in its 60 years in power. The proposals included free water for low-income households, the Johor Health Card as well as financial aid for university students.

“Our manifesto looks similar (to those of other parties) but it’s very different, because what we’re offering places more focus on the interests of the people. This is what we’re offering, not focusing on politicians,” he said.

Earlier, PH pledged that it would conduct a redelineation exercise, give equal funds to all assemblymen and implement an anti-hopping enactment if it wins the Johor polls. This looked similar to BN’s manifesto launched on March 1, which also pledged the three items.

Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong claimed that the pledges by BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN), like the anti-hopping enactment, equal funds for assemblymen and the creation of select committees in the state assembly, were ideas first mooted by PH’s parties as early as 2008.

“These were ideas that we had proposed since way back then. Now what we find is that the other side (BN and PN) is also accepting these ideas,” he said.

Aminolhuda also said that PH would not discuss its candidate for the menteri besar’s (MB) post until it wins the elections.

He said there were more important matters PH needed to discuss to ensure it could achieve victory at the polls.

“Though we’re confident we can win, our MB candidate will be discussed at the right time. When we get the seats, we will discuss,” he said.

He also confirmed that the anti-hopping enactment will apply to assemblymen switching parties within the same coalition. “When it says anti-hopping, it means no one can hop. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

This comes after three assemblymen in Johor defected from Amanah and joined PKR early last year. - FMT