Why choose Pakatan Harapan?

The Pakatan Harapan government is far from perfect. In fact, to build a decent, caring and competent government will take years. We need Malaysians to walk with us for the long haul. Let us judge the government at the end of its five-year term. 

The change of government on 9th May 2018 was not just a change of stewardship like other normal democracies such as the United Kingdom or Australia. What happened was historic; it was a miracle. 

Barisan Nasional lost to a people’s uprising in polling booths all over the country. The people have won. But unlike fairy tales, we can’t live happily ever after.

The new government needs to clean up the mess left by BN after years of neglect, corruption and abuse of power. There is no shortcut unless the people want Pakatan Harapan to be the exact carbon copy of the kleptocratic BN regime led by Najib Razak. 

I’m sure not many would want to go back to those dark and depressed years. Now we need to restructure the institutions, we need to put the right people at the right positions, we need to work together among the various ethnic groups. All these will take time, patience and hard work. 

While these efforts are a work in progress, the opposition has been stoking racial sentiments. Such dirty politics had caused some people to doubt Pakatan Harapan. Some even believe that we would lose badly in this Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election.

Some MCA-friendly individuals here are openly boasting in the community that MCA – representing BN – would win with a 5,000-vote majority. Realistically, a winning candidate would gain a narrow majority. 

More important for Pakatan Harapan is to get as many voters as possible to cast their vote this Saturday. I therefore would like to urge voters of Tanjung Piai, wherever you are working or residing now, to return to vote.

Let me humbly acknowledge that it is a tough battle for Pakatan Harapan, and we need all the help possible from well-wishers so that there is a peer-to-peer surge in the final days of the campaign.  

Why should Pakatan Harapan be your choice?

1. To ensure this clean government to stay in charge. This government is on the right track – despite some hiccups, and we are much better than the previous corrupt government – as proven by former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s prima facie case. The court decision on Najib just proved that the voters of Tanjung Piai made the right call at the last general election, and we should stay on the same course for a better future for Malaysia. 
2. To ensure the government is the government for all, not the few. If this government collapses due to UMNO-PAS’s racist politics of dividing the people, it could lead to the deterioration of national harmony. Whereas their dangerous political game is merely to split Pakatan Harapan, and enable them to be back in power, thus Najib and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi can avoid corruption charges and jail time.
3. To continue the legacy of the late Dr Mohd Farid Rafik’s legacy as the caring wakil rakyat, and not MCA’s Wee Jeck Seng who is now collaborating with Najib and UMNO-PAS. Wee’s record as the former MP for the constituency and Parliament is proof enough that Pakatan Harapan should be choice of the people.

To the voters of Tanjung Piai, let me assure you that Pakatan Harapan government is serious about developing the country and providing quality jobs. Our aim to see more Malaysians working in Malaysia to contribute to meaningful growth of the nation. We don’t want Malaysians to work as cheap labour in Singapore. 

Wee Jeck Seng and his party as well as the previous BN government did very little in creating more jobs for Malaysians in either Tanjung Piai or Johor in general (except Johor Bahru). 

Wee who has been around in local politics for over 20 years as a member of the government has failed miserably. Therefore, the longer he stays, the more locals have to work in Singapore, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur. Life would still be difficult in Tanjung Piai.

Let us choose Pakatan Harapan candidate Haji Karmaine Sardini for a fresh start in Tanjung Piai. 

* Speech on 11^th November 2019 in Pekan Nanas (release on 12^th November 2019)