Guan Eng to voters: Don’t judge on race but on who’s clean
TG PIAI POLLS | DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has called on Tanjung Piai voters to judge candidates based on their parties abilities to, among others, handle the economy and pay civil servants’ salaries.
Speaking to reporters following the nomination of candidates for the Nov 16 by-election today, Lim urged the candidates and political parties to shun the racial and religious rhetoric when campaigning...
TG PIAI POLLS | DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has called on Tanjung Piai voters to judge candidates based on their parties abilities to, among others, handle the economy and pay civil servants’ salaries.
Speaking to reporters following the nomination of candidates for the Nov 16 by-election today, Lim urged the candidates and political parties to shun the racial and religious rhetoric when campaigning.
Instead, Lim, who is also the Finance Minister, said parties should campaign on a platform of who is clean, free from corruption and is best able to handle the economy.
“Let this campaign proceed without issues on (racial and religious) sentiments being played up. Let’s not compete based on slander and unfounded accusations,” he said to reporters.
“(To voters,) let us compare which party is cleaner, which party is not involved in corruption. Let’s compare based on their abilities and capabilities to handle the economy, which party can pay government staff salaries,” he said.
Express immigration lane for voters
Meanwhile, during the press conference after the nomination process ended, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin described Bersatu candidate Karmaine Sardini as the best candidate in the by-election as the latter is part of the Harapan leadership.
“Anyone else can vote in this by-election. The best candidate must be Karmaine, because he is from Harapan, he is not the opposition.
“If you want to vote for opposition, you can...but he is from the Harapan government, he is our representative. People will receive an easier way to convey their problems, find a solution and (get) the necessary allocations.
“We are not saying we are better, but the fact is he is part of the Harapan leadership. Thus, this will be easier,” he said.
However, the Bersatu president agreed that the by-election was not going to be "an easy battle" and that the government had to address the people’s needs.
Muhyiddin, who is also the home minister, revealed that the Immigration Department will set up an express lane at the Johor immigration complex for those returning from Singapore to vote in the by-election.
This is to enable Tanjung Piai voters to have a smoother journey from Singapore to Johor, he said.
The special lane will operate from 12am till 5pm on Nov 16, he added.
Six candidates are vying for the parliamentary seat following today’s nomination.
The main contenders are Tanjung Piai Bersatu chief Karmaine Sardini, who is defending the seat for Pakatan Harapan against BN’s former two-term Tanjung Piai MP Wee Jeck Seng of MCA.
In GE14, Wee lost to the incumbent, the late Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, by just 524 votes.
The other candidates are Gerakan deputy secretary-general Wendy Subramaniam, Berjasa president Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz and independents Ang Chuan Lock and Faridah Aryani Abd Ghaffar.
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