Don’t repeat Cameron mistakes in Semenyih, says Amanah
Amanah Youth chief Mohd Sany Hamzah said Pakatan Harapan should learn from the Cameron Highlands by-election and not repeat incidents where the coalition is caught abusing government machinery.
"I hope all parties contesting in the Semenyih by-election will safeguard their integrity and also stay away from religious and racial sentiments.
"We advise government leaders, be it the prime minister, deputy prime minister or ministers...
Amanah Youth chief Mohd Sany Hamzah said Pakatan Harapan should learn from the Cameron Highlands by-election and not repeat incidents where the coalition is caught abusing government machinery.
"I hope all parties contesting in the Semenyih by-election will safeguard their integrity and also stay away from religious and racial sentiments.
"We advise government leaders, be it the prime minister, deputy prime minister or ministers, not to use government machinery, public servants or government vehicles for the campaign.
"If they want to campaign, do so with their personal vehicles. Don't bring government programmes, as it is a contest between political parties, not between the government and political parties," he told Malaysiakini.
Hamzah also stressed that the media should give fair coverage to both the government and opposition.
Harapan, which had long criticised the previous BN government of abusing government machinery during elections, found itself in similar situations in the run-up to last month's Cameron Highlands polls.
Among the incidents were a deputy minister borrowing government vehicles for campaigning, and a Harapan senator allegedly threatening village chiefs that they may lose their allowances if they did not support the government.
However, the opposition was also actively stirring racial and religious sentiments in their campaign ceramah.
Harapan was defeated by BN in the Jan 26 by-election by 3,238 votes.
The Semenyih by-election is set for March 2, following the passing of the Bersatu incumbent Bakhtiar Mohd Nor.
As Sany noted, the Semenyih by-election should be an arena to exchange ideas on how to improve people's lives.
"Let us debate and come up with ideas on how to develop Semenyih. We reject the politics of race and religion," he said.
