DAP MP accuses PN of letters calling Chinese to punish Umno

MAHKOTA BY-ELECTION | As the Mahkota by-election reaches its midpoint, letters were allegedly put in mailboxes urging Chinese voters to reject Umno’s candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah.

DAP’s Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi said the letters were in Chinese and titled “A call to voters in the Mahkota by-election: We hope to see fair treatment for all people in Johor”.

The letters were signed “The people of Kluang, Johor, and Pakatan Harapan supporter Lin Wei Jie”.

She said this was possibly a psychological operation orchestrated by Perikatan Nasional and condemned it as a “dirty tactic”.

Wong also said she received complaints about individuals going door to door late last night, slipping the letters into mailboxes.

The targeted locations were Chinese-majority areas, she said, including Taman Lian Seng and Taman Sri Kluang.

“I reasonably suspect that the anonymous letters were the work of PN, as they hope to discourage Chinese voters from voting, which would increase their chances of winning.”

Wong further claimed that PN has lost its political capital and is fully aware it cannot win the Chinese vote, which is why it resorted to such a desperate tactic.

The letter also mentioned the situation in Johor being different from the federal government where Harapan and BN are working together - Harapan is part of the opposition in the southern state’s legislative assembly.

It also noted that Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has continually stirred up sensitive issues to provoke ethnic sentiments.

The letter then called on voters to use this by-election to teach Umno a lesson, emphasising that should BN lose Mahkota, it would not affect the federal or state governments.

“If Umno loses, let them no longer be arrogant and act as they please. This is a warning. We need checks and balances on the government.

“We hope our agenda and demands will be better heard by the federal or state governments. We hope conscientious DAP representatives can hear our voices. We love DAP but cannot indulge it,” the letter read.

Much ado about Akmal

When asked if the points raised in the letter over Akmal would affect Harapan’s campaign strategy, Wong refrained from commenting.

She said the issue should be left for Umno to respond.

“I think it’s best to ask Umno about this... I have no opinion.”

Akmal previously clashed with DAP vice-chairperson Teresa Kok over the mandatory halal certification controversy, even resorting to name-calling by referring to her as an “Old Nyonya” and wanting to stick a “non-halal” logo on her forehead which sparked considerable dissatisfaction among the Chinese community.

Although there were rumours that Umno would prevent Akmal from campaigning in Mahkota to avoid losing Chinese votes, party supreme council member Ahmad Maslan denied this.

Akmal has also made an appearance in Mahkota to campaign for Syed Hussien.

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