Out of PH, but ex-MB confident of retaining non-Malay support

 

Dr Sahruddin Jamal, who switched from Pakatan Harapan to Perikatan Nasional, says the Chinese and Indian voters in Bukit Kepong know him well.

PAGOH: Dr Sahruddin Jamal, the former Johor menteri besar who won the Bukit Kepong seat on a Pakatan Harapan ticket in 2018, has professed confidence in his ability to retain the support of non-Malay voters although he has switched his allegiance to Perikatan Nasional.

Speaking to FMT, he claimed that the Chinese and Indians in the constituency knew him well because of the three health clinics he was operating.

“The Indian and Chinese communities knew me even before GE14,” he said. “I’ve been serving them through my clinics since 2011.”

Sahruddin said it was his custom to disregard race when inviting people to events he would organise.

“I invite people of all races to attend my programmes,” he said. “And thankfully, when I go to Grisek, Pagoh and Bukit Kepong towns – all these Chinese towns – they know me. God willing, they will vote for me.”

He said he was quite certain that the people of Bukit Kepong knew him as a hardworking assemblyman who was constantly on the ground.

Of his three challengers, the most serious is believed to be Barisan Nasional’s Ismail Mohamed, who was the constituency’s assemblyman when it was known as Bukit Serampang.

Sahruddin acknowledged that Umno had its base of hardcore supporters, but said he was confident that his performance as assemblyman, coupled with PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as prime minister, would win over the voters.

He said voters could see that Muhyiddin performed better as prime minister than his predecessors.

He added that the Muhyiddin factor would boost Chinese and Indian support for him because they were aware of the developments the Bersatu president had brought to his hometown of Pagoh. - FMT