The Pakatan Harapan secretariat today lambasted several media reports concerning issues related to the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) and an allegation that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the de facto finance minister.
Describing the reports published by unnamed newspapers in English and Chinese as misleading, the secretariat said that they believe such write-ups were meant to sway support from Harapan in the upcoming Tanjung Piai by-election in Johor.
The statement firstly addressed a front-page news report by an English daily that the RTS project would be delayed by six months, which, according to Harapan, is false news.
"The truth is that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad only made an announcement on the RTS project officially at 3pm yesterday (Thursday)," said the statement.
The government had announced yesterday that the RTS was back on track after Putrajaya secured cost savings and cooperation from landowners, including the Johor sultan.
The council is believed to be referring to a report by The Star, which suggested that the government will be seeking a deadline extension to review the RTS project.
Today's statement was signed by five Harapan leaders: Harapan secretary-general Saifuddin Abdullah, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, Bersatu secretary-general Marzuki Yahaya, Amanah secretary-general Anuar Tahir, and DAP national secretary Anthony Loke.
Aimed at 'shrinking' Harapan support
A Chinese daily, meanwhile, was also chastised over its report on a study which alleged Mahathir was the de facto finance minister, and that Bersatu leaders were picked to helm many government-linked companies.
"This was done with the intention to show non-Malay voters that the finance minister (Lim Guan Eng) has no actual power and is only a puppet while the Harapan government is being controlled by Mahathir and his associates.
"Meanwhile, to the Malay crowd, Mahathir was pictured as a puppet of DAP and Lim Guan Eng.
"All these are aimed at shrinking support to Harapan by voters from both the Malay and non-Malay communities, so that Harapan would be divided and destroyed," the secretariat claimed.
They said Harapan is also expecting that such attempts to spread information based on half-truths or outright fake news would increase in the coming days as the by-election draws nearer.
In the statement, the secretariat also listed a series of points in response to information released by a think-tank, which alleged that GLCs were restructured to strengthen the prime minister and Bersatu's position.
Among the points made by the secretariat was that the Ministry of Finance Incorporated remained Khazanah Nasional’s largest stakeholder, despite the sovereign wealth fund having now come under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department (PMD).
They said the Economic Affairs Ministry was also created with the aim of taking over economic affairs, which had been within the PMD’s purview during the previous BN administration.
"The Pakatan Harapan secretariat council would like to urge the public to be cautious in their judgement on Harapan, in times where the media is given freedom and no longer being controlled by the government.
"The public should be careful with media that are still under the control of elements from the old regime, and not be easily influenced by their propaganda."
