After MB's U-turn, Gerakan to help capture fence-sitters
SG LIMAU Gerakan Youth will help Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir to capture the “fence-sitters” in Sungai Limau.
SG LIMAU Gerakan Youth will help Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir to capture the “fence-sitters” in Sungai Limau.
The wing’s newly-minted chief, Tan Keng Liang, said at least 100 Gerakan supporters would come to Sungai Limau to try and capture these voters, many of whom he said “have yet to make up their minds who to vote for”.
“We are here to ask them - do they want false hopes, lies or something concrete? BN is already in government and Mukhriz has said that he will be open to all communities,” Tan (left) told a press conference late yesterday evening.
“With a BN representative here, the issues of Sungai Limau will go to Mukhriz’s ears more and you will see him here more often. The people here would have direct access to the MB,” Tan added.
“Actually I pity them as they have been under PAS so long but PAS is past. Development and PAS don’t go together,” he said.
Tan said this after Mukhriz visited the MCA by-election operations centre in Sungai Limau Dalam yesterday, where he said he would be fair to all communities, including the Chinese.
Yesterday, Mukhriz also announced that MCA’s Gurun assemblyperson Dr Leong Yong Kong would be appointd a state executive councillor, saying that with his appointment, there would be more representation for the Chinese in the Kedah government.
Mukhriz was earlier caught in a controversy where he was reported to have said he would not entertain the Chinese community, asking them to prove their support for BN.
Tan said this announcement was Mukhriz’s biggest yet and was timely as the opposition’s spin has caused “hatred” for the MB among the Chinese community in Kedah for Mukhriz's anti-Chinese stance.
“Earlier Mukriz did not want to entertain rumours and was busy with the Umno elections. Now that the issue has become out of hand, he has clarified his stand,” said Tan.
With his clarification, Tan said, Gerakan will support the BN candidatefor Sungai Limau, Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim.
“There should be no more issue as to why the Chinese should support BN when Mukhriz is not fair to them for the opposition to spin. The case is closed,” said Tan, adding that this was his first statement after becoming Gerakan national Youth chief.
‘What happened to hydrocarbon hub?’
Tan also said that before the opposition could spin further, it should answer two questions from BN.
One is on the PAS-initiated RM36 million Sulihh hydrocarbon hub - an oil refinery project in Sungai Limau launched in 2009 - that failed to take off under Pakatan’s rule.
“It was like an empty tin can under the PAS administration. Everyone here thought this big project will take off but it’s all empty promises by PAS.
“The Sungai Limau people should be aware of how PAS plays politics. It is all hope but eventually, it will come to nothing.
Tan said PAS candidate Mohd Azam Samat (right) should be aware of this issue and provide some answers if he is a “good or principled” person.
He added that if Azam could not respond, other PAS or DAP leaders should help him out with it instead of “spinning” issues against the BN.
Tan said PAS and Pakatan should also explain what happened to the 40,000 Bangladeshis who they said had voted in the May 5 general election.
“Where are they? So far they stopped one person but he happened to be a DAP member. But BN has been tarnished with these allegations.
“So I ask the PAS candidate to answer: what happened to the alleged Bangladeshi voters?”
Tan said he would ask more of the candidate after he attempts to respond to these two questions first.
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