DAP in Jerai will hurt Harapan in Kedah, sacked Amanah leader warns

Sacked Kedah Amanah chief Phahrolrazi Mohd Zawawi has called on Pakatan Harapan supporters to pressure the coalition's leadership not to field DAP in the Jerai seat.

While stressing that he does not hate DAP, Phahrolrazi (above), however, warned that Malay voters in rural seats were not prepared to support the party and that DAP contesting in Jerai will hurt Harapan in other seats as well.

"In the context of Kedah, 75 to 80 percent of voters are Malays, the majority of whom have a perception and sentiment that they can't accept DAP in the context of Malay states.

"Because we mainly rely on Malay votes in Kedah, that is our stance (that DAP should not contest in Jerai)," he said during a press conference in Jerai today.

Phahrolrazi said among others, it would deepen the perception that Amanah is a DAP lapdog.

Amanah had traded the Jerai seat with DAP in exchange for Alor Gajah in Malacca - where party leader Adly Zahari will be fielded.

DAP will be fielding its deputy Kedah chief Zulhazmy Sharif in Jerai. In 2018, 80 percent of voters there were Malays.

Phahrolrazi said he had been expressing internal opposition to giving up Jerai for almost a month, but to no avail.

His opposition, and threat for Kedah Amanah to boycott the elections if DAP gets the seat, led to his sacking today.

No consultation

Phahrolrazi accused Amanah's leaders of making the decision without consulting those on the ground.

The former Kedah Amanah chief said he and others in the state chapter have been staunchly defending DAP in their ceramah.

He also said DAP was among the best partners to have in a political coalition.

However, he said the reality - which he claimed Kedah PKR agreed to - was simply that rural Malays in Kedah were not ready to vote for DAP as race remained an important factor for this demographic.

He said BN and PAS will also seize on DAP contesting in Jerai to attack Amanah and PKR.

"This will be capital for PAS and Umno, that Amanah and PKR are unable to protect Malay interests," he said.

But with six days to go until nomination day, Phahrolrazi said there was still time for Harapan's leadership to reverse their decision.

He said he still supported Harapan and wanted coalition leader Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, hence the need to give Harapan any edge it can get rather than take risks that would hurt the coalition as a whole.

Until the decision is reversed, however, Phahrolrazi said the Kedah Amanah divisions aligned with him will not campaign in the general election.

DAP is making a push to contest in more Malay seats in an effort to shed its anti-Malay image among conservative voters.

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