Samsuri leaves door open for Sanusi to campaign in Negeri Sembilan

 PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar says he takes note of the call by BN chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for Sanusi Nor to stay away, but says Sanusi is free to campaign.

PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the coalition hopes that voters understand the context of Sanusi Nor’s remarks about Malays, Chinese and Indians at a recent ceramah.

SEREMBAN:

Perikatan Nasional election director Sanusi Nor is free to continue campaigning in the Negeri Sembilan election, PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said today.

Samsuri said PN had taken note of the call by Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for Sanusi to stay away, but noted that Zahid’s call was made as BN chairman, “It is up to Sanusi if he wants to come after this,” he said.

“We are not going to stop anyone from campaigning,” Samsuri said.

Zahid had said that Sanusi, who is also Kedah menteri besar, should concentrate on his own state and not campaign in Negeri Sembilan.

PN and BN have an electoral understanding not to compete against each other in the state polls, with BN contesting 25 seats and PN in 11, with no overlap.

Samsuri said: “Outside of political campaigning, both of us are menteri besars, and we also have responsibilities in our respective states,” he told reporters after launching PN’s manifesto tonight. Sanusi is also Kedah menteri besar, while Samsuri is menteri besar of Terengganu.

Sanusi has come under criticism over remarks about Malay, Chinese and Indian identity which he made on Thursday night at an election ceramah. He was reported to have said that Malays only have Tanah Melayu as their homeland, while Chinese and Indians have China and India respectively.

Asked whether PN was concerned about losing Chinese and Indian support over the remarks, Samsuri said the coalition wanted people to understand the context of the remarks.

“The most important thing is that we must be clear about what was said by him. Sanusi has also said he will take legal action against those who distort the facts,” he said.

Samsuri said candidates from both BN and PN could campaign using either coalition’s manifesto following their agreement to adopt a common platform for the state election. “They can use both,” he said when asked which manifesto candidates should campaign on. - FMT