Anwar accuses rivals of ‘racist campaigning’ in Padang Serai

 

Anwar Ibrahim says PH’s Padang Serai candidate, M Karupaiya, resisted multiple offers to defect to Bersatu. (Bernama pic)

KULIM: Pakatan Harapan’s opponents in Padang Serai, Kedah, are using racist sentiments to campaign against PH candidate M Karupaiya, claims PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

At a ceramah last night, Anwar claimed the parties, which he did not name, had asked people to vote for a Malay candidate.

“There are people going around Padang Serai campaigning (and saying), ‘We want a Malay’ (MP). What is this? It’s best to pick a principled man like Karupaiya.

“So many have (made him offers) to hop to Bersatu. He was even offered money and threatened, but he didn’t budge. I salute you, Karupaiya,” said the PH chairman.

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Karupaiya, who is seeking re-election to a second term, is in a six-cornered fight against Barisan Nasional’s C Sivarraajh, Perikatan Nasional’s Azman Nasrudin, Pejuang’s Hamzah Abdul Rahman, Warisan’s Bakri Hashim, and independent candidate Sreanandha Rao.

Anwar lamented over how assemblymen Azman and Robert Ling, who had defected from PKR to Bersatu, were now contesting in Padang Serai and Sungai Petani, respectively

He said he had refinanced his home in Segambut during the 2013 general election to fund PKR’s campaigns then, to help Azman, Ling and others to win.

Azman and Ling are executive councillors in the PAS-led state government.

Anwar also questioned how PN was financing its general election campaign, saying it was spending “lavishly” in the run-up to GE15.

“Where did they get the money? Don’t tell me by being a prime minister for just a year?” he asked, referring to PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin. - FMT