MIPP’s Sathes Kumar tells Indians not to fear PAS

 The Lukut candidate says PAS respects all communities and does not impose its Islamic agenda on coalition partners.

MIPP’s Lukut candidate N Sathes Kumar said PAS worked with his party without pressuring the Indian-based party on religious matters.

SEREMBAN:

MIPP’s Lukut candidate N Sathes Kumar has urged Indian voters not to be afraid of PAS, insisting the Islamic party respects all communities and does not impose its religious agenda on its coalition partners.

Sathes, who is contesting the Negeri Sembilan election under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner, said PAS worked with MIPP without pressuring the Indian-based party on religious matters.

“PAS is indeed an Islamic party, but it looks after Muslims as well as other communities,” he told FMT when asked about concerns among Indian voters over PAS’s growing influence within PN.

“Come and support us. I can promise you our friends from PAS will not bring Islam into politics. They will work together and help us.”

Negeri Sembilan’s state election campaign recently descended into racially charged rhetoric after PAS vice-president and PN election director Sanusi Nor allegedly said at a ceramah that Malays had no other homeland, while Malaysian Chinese and Indians had China and India, respectively.

Sanusi later denied questioning the citizenship or rights of Malaysian Chinese and Indians, but his remarks drew criticism from political leaders, including BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, whose coalition has an electoral understanding with PN in the Negeri Sembilan polls.

Sathes is facing incumbent Choo Ken Hwa of PH and independent Teo Seng Lee in a three-cornered fight for Lukut.

Choo has held the seat since 2018, while former DAP assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah represented the mixed seat constituency from 2008 to 2013.

Sathes also appealed to Indian voters to support him in Lukut, saying while he would champion the interests of all communities if elected, he would pay special attention to issues affecting the Indians.

“I will do my best and work especially for the Indian community because I am from the same community. But not only for Indians – I will also serve other communities as a representative of PN,” he said.

Despite Lukut being regarded as a DAP stronghold, Sathes claimed dissatisfaction with the current government was growing, particularly among Chinese voters.

“The wave has changed because in every house and every place we visit, especially among Chinese voters, we find that they are fed up with the current government. They want change.

“I can see there is a great deal of anger towards Pakatan Harapan. So I hope Chinese voters will vote for me in the coming election,” he said. - FMT