TG PIAI POLLS | Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today expressed confidence in Harapan's chances to retain the Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat.

Speaking at a press conference in Putrajaya, he said this was despite a segment of voters who still thinks that he is holding the post of Umno president.

"We discussed about the Tanjung Piai by-election. We realise there are certain issues but we believe that we can resolve them.

"There is evidence that many voters have changed their stand. They used to support BN but now they support Harapan," said Mahathir, who earlier chaired a Bersatu supreme council meeting at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya.

"There is also (however) voters who think that I, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is (still) the president of Umno.

"This (idea) we must change. I am the chairperson of Pakatan Harapan and I'm appointed as prime minister of a Harapan government," he said.

Mahathir also confirmed that he will be joining the campaign trail for Harapan candidate Karmaine Sardini on Wednesday.

"I hope at that time they won't see me as the Umno president," he added.

Entering the second week of campaigning, MCA and Harapan's competition for Chinese audiences saw the BN-component drawing a larger crowd at their ceramah sessions.

Asked whether he was expecting a larger crowd for Harapan during his upcoming appearance, Mahathir merely said he will wait and see.

"I don't know. We will see the day after tomorrow," he added.

Mahathir further took a swipe at MCA who he claimed is playing up racial issues by attacking the DAP in their campaign.

Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong (photo) on Saturday said he expected racial attacks against the Harapan government to intensify if BN wins the coming Tanjung Piai by-election. 

He had said this is because such a victory would signal an endorsement of BN to continue with such tactics.

The two frontrunners in the by-election are MCA's Wee Jeck Seng who is contesting under BN's logo and Bersatu's Karmaine.

The other candidates are Berjasa's Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz, Gerakan's Wendy Subramaniam and independent candidates Ang Chuan Lock and Faridah Aryani Abd Ghaffar.

Campaigning began last Saturday and Tanjung Piai voters will go to the polls on Nov 16.

The by-election was called after its incumbent MP, Bersatu's Md Farid Md Rafik, passed away from a heart attack in September, just three weeks before his 43rd birthday.