Help campaign for PH-BN candidates, DAP tells MCA

DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok said MCA should have ‘all hands on deck’ for the by-elections in Johor next week.

PETALING JAYA: A DAP leader has urged the party’s former rival MCA to lend a hand in campaigning for the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional alliance for two by-elections in Johor next week.

Teresa Kok, DAP’s vice-chairman, said that as MCA has four assemblymen and two MPs in Johor, “all its machinery should be activated and all hands should be on deck” to ensure wins in the by-elections.

Voters go to the polls on Sept 9 to elect a new MP for Pulai and a state assembly member for Simpang Jeram. The seats had been held by Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub who died in July.

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Kok noted that although MCA had said it would campaign only for Umno and Barisan Nasional at the six state assembly elections last month, the party seemed “dull, lacklustre and showed almost zero teamwork and partnership” while campaigning.

Kok said this was in contrast to Umno and MIC, whose leaders shared a stage with their PH counterparts while campaigning in order to secure a good turnout from their supporters at polling day.

BN and PH are partners in the federal unity government coalition led by PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.

Kok said MCA’s constitution focuses on issues such as national unity, social justice and economic security, all of which the unity government promotes as well.

The MCA constitution also calls on the party “to work with other political organisations with similar aims and objectives so as to encourage the healthy development of party politics”, she said.

In the Pulai parliamentary by-election, PH’s Suhaizan Kaiat will face Zulkifli Jaafar of Perikatan Nasional and independent candidate Samsudin Fauzi.

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In the Simpang Jeram by-election, Nazri Abdul Rahman (PH) faces Dr Mazri Yahya (PN) and independent candidate S Jeganathan. - FMT