Activist urges Indians to boycott polls in protest against PM

Activist Arun Dorasamy has urged Indians to boycott the upcoming Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections on Sept 9.

This, he said, was to protest against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's decision to preside over a religious conversion ceremony involving an Indian youth.

"I’m starting a movement to urge Indian voters to boycott Pakatan Harapan and BN during the upcoming by-elections.

"I'm not asking for Indians to support Perikatan Nasional. Instead, this is a protest against the government of the day," Arun (above) told Malaysiakini.

Indians comprise 2.54 percent of the voters in Simpang Jeram and 12.3 percent of voters in Pulai.

During the 2022 Johor state polls, the then-incumbent Salahuddin Ayub, representing Harapan, won the Simpang Jeram seat with only 40.94 percent of the vote share.

Salahuddin later won the Pulai seat during the parliamentary election in November 2022 by a landslide.

Arun is currently being investigated by the police over his Tiktok video, where he criticised Anwar's involvement in the ceremony.

He argued it was inappropriate because Anwar should not conflate his role as prime minister with the roles played by religious authorities.

Probe under Penal Code

Arun is being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code for "insulting behaviour", Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for "insulting behaviour" and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for "improper use of network facilities".

Anwar's participation in the conversion ceremony was also criticised by the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH), which argued that the prime minister was supposed to represent all ethnic groups and faiths.

Meanwhile, Arun said Anwar had set a precedent whereby those other than the religious bodies or a mosque official can handle conversions.

Arun stressed that he has never questioned whether the convert had a right to embrace Islam.

"The question is whether the prime minister should have played a role," he said. - Mkini