JOHOR POLLS | Parti Bersama Malaysia co-leader Rafizi Ramli has lauded his party's candidate, Boo Wei Han, for raising tough issues that actually matter to constituents.
This is after Boo (above), in his speech, went on a brief tangent about backlash against pig farming.
At the Bersama ceramah in Taman Pelangi last night, Boo - who is a gated community management firm CEO and Bersama’s candidate for Perling - lamented how this has affected farmers.
"They have been raising pigs for 30-40 years. Did anyone die from living next to pigs, or get sick?
"I hope there can be a U-turn. I pity them, all their lives, two-three generations reared pigs, and now you ask them to shut down," he said in his first-ever ceramah speech.
This is believed to be in reference to a pig farming ban in Selangor - an issue which has struck a chord with non-Muslims as infringing on their rights.
Pig farming has caused fatal disease outbreaks, notably the Nipah virus outbreak in 1998 and 1999, which resulted in 265 cases of acute encephalitis with 105 deaths.
However, the recent backlash was mainly due to communal and ecological issues, with Selangor's Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreeing a ban.
In Johor, pig farming is still allowed, with the state ranked as one of the major producers in Peninsular Malaysia.
No filtering real-life issues
Boo also briefly touched on another Selangor-based issue regarding height restrictions for non-Muslim houses of worship, which he acknowledged has since been resolved.
Half an hour after Boo's remarks about pig farming, Rafizi said he had received a text warning about potential backlash.
However, he said this was a perfect example of why he wanted ordinary Malaysians to contest in elections, saying they did not filter real-life issues for political expediency.
"Let me ask you this: this (pig farming) is an issue that is close to the hearts of many Chinese voters.
"We are not asking Malays to eat pork. We are not asking everyone to celebrate, 'let's eat pigs'.
"But when we become people's representatives, we must represent all people, even if it’s something that we don't do but is important to some voters, especially minorities (we have to speak up)," he said.
Speak from the heart
Likewise, Rafizi said politicians should not be afraid to address issues that are important to Malays just because they fear losing Chinese votes.
He said that Bersama does not prepare speeches for their candidates, and that he wants them to speak from the heart.
He then launched a broadside against his political rivals.
"What was expressed (by Boo) is the voice of regular people who are Chinese in this country. Don't ask me, don't ask Boo, ask DAP, MCA, (Prime Minister) Anwar Ibrahim why they don't speak up," he said.
DAP leaders have either spoken up about the pig farming ban in Selangor or defended the right of their members to express views about it.
However, the issue has cooled somewhat since the last flare-up of tensions in April. - Mkini
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