PETALING JAYA: Najib Razak has denied claims by Pakatan Harapan that he played the race card, saying he never once referred to the Chinese when questioning Lim Guan Eng’s appointment as the finance minister at a ceramah.

Earlier, the ruling coalition had accused the former prime minister of playing the race card for singling out Lim “only because he was Chinese”.

“The former prime minister tried to instigate hatred towards the Chinese community by questioning the finance minister’s race,” PH said in a statement.

It said this in response to Najib asking “where was Malay dignity” when the finance minister was from DAP.

But Najib said that if one were to listen carefully to his speech, they would find that he never referred to the Chinese community.

“Nor did I refer to any race for that matter when I made the remark about where was Malay dignity when Lim Guan Eng is the finance minister.”

The Pekan MP then trained his guns on Lim, pointing out that in a speech made on Nov 3 at the DAP Johor convention, the DAP secretary-general said that an MCA victory in the Tanjung Piai by-election may “lead to endorsement of the racist and extremist religious philosophy of both PAS and Umno”.

This included that non-Malays or non-Muslims do not deserve to hold ministerial positions in the Cabinet; vernacular schools teaching mother-tongue languages should be closed down; non-Muslims, especially Christians, cannot gather for their religious prayers; boycotting non-Muslim products and businesses; and labelling non-Muslim and non-Malays who oppose them as “pigs, terrorists and communists”.

Najib went on to say that the late Tan Siew Sin never made such racist statements as Lim had.

This was in response to PH pointing out that Najib’s father, Abdul Razak Hussein — the country’s second prime minister — had retained the former MCA president as a finance minister.

Tan, Najib added, also never described the pact between Umno and PAS as a declaration of war against non-Malays.

In March, Lim was quoted by Malaysiakini, as labelling the Umno-PAS union as a declaration of “war” on non-Malays, adding that the 1Malaysia concept previously championed by Barisan Nasional was now over.

Shortly after, the news portal revised the article and carried an editor’s note saying Lim had corrected his earlier statement which originally used the words “declare war on non-Malays”.

“The ‘rakyat’ can judge for themselves who is really playing the race card.”

IPOH, Nov 15 — Tahfiz centre operators in Perak will face legal action if they fail to comply with the safety requirements set by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.

State Islamic Religion and Islamic Education, Rural and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman Datuk Asmuni Awi said, however, a moratorium would be imposed until June next year before a detailed evaluation was carried out to determine the action to be taken against those who failed to comply with the safety requirements.

“At the moment, the government has no plan to take legal action against tahfiz centre operators who have failed to comply with the safety requirements in the near future.

“However, we will continue reminding and advising them on the matter,” he said at the state legislative assembly sitting at the Perak Darul Ridzuan building here today.

He said this in response to a question from Ng Shy Ching (PH-Teja) on the state government’s efforts to ensure that all tahfiz schools and centres in the state comply with the safety requirements.

Asmuni (PH-Manjoi) said there were 82 tahfiz schools in Perak of which five were owned by the state government. — Bernama

PONTIAN, Nov 14 — Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub has challenged opposition parties accusing the Pakatan Harapan government of using racial sentiments while campaigning for the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election to substantiate the allegations.

Salahuddin said Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) needed to prove who among the PH leaders had allegedly played racial and religious sentiments during the campaign.

“Show the evidence or release it on video or in the media, who is the one in PH who had played up the racial issues…if they just say so then they are mere allegations. But the people who are truly playing up the religious issues are they themselves (BN),” he said during a press conference after visiting the Tanjung Piai by-election media centre at the Pontian Mini Stadium here, today.

Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki was recently reported to have claimed that PH leaders had played up racial sentiments throughout their election campaign in Tanjung Piai.

Meanwhile, when asked about the cooperation between MCA and PAS, with Umno as the middleman, which has seemed to gain ground recently, Salahuddin said it was merely for political interests.

The Pulai MP said PAS seemed to be ‘turning around in circles’ in voicing their support for BN candidates.

“In a recent statement they said voting for MCA this time was not wrong, but in (the) Cameron Highlands (parliamentary by-election), a so-called ‘fatwa’ was issued to make it mandatory to vote for a Muslim candidate,” he said. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: P Prabakaran says he will serve out his full term as Batu MP following a call by 14 NGOs urging him to vacate his seat to trigger a by-election in the constituency.

Prabakaran said he was committed to serving the people diligently and was willing to contribute to making PKR’s reformation agenda a reality.

He also said the people of Batu wanted a young and spirited person in Parliament to help resolve their problems, adding that he met his constituents daily.

“I have conducted many programmes and activities in the Batu constituency.

“I am solving their problems step by step and have been able to solve complicated problems faced by my voters in a short span of time.

“I am determined to provide the best solution in several issues that I am facing right now,” he said in a statement today.

Yesterday, 14 NGOs had proposed that Prabakaran vacate his seat to pave the way for Tian Chua, Batu’s two-term incumbent, to return as MP.

A representative of the coalition of NGOs said Tian Chua’s support, coupled with the strong election machinery, had enabled Prabakaran to win with a huge majority.

He also said Tian Chua’s service as an MP was needed, adding that he had performed well during his two terms in 2008 and 2013.

Yesterday, when asked by FMT, both Prabakaran and Tian Chua had offered no comment on the calls to vacate the seat.

Today, Prabakaran said he took the NGOs’ call in a positive light, saying it showed they had good intentions for PKR, the party he joined days after winning the seat.

He also said he had, in his capacity as MP, directly helped some of these NGOs listed in the statement.

He said there were also complaints about some of the NGOs listed, that it was the statement of certain individuals and not the statement of the NGOs.

Prabakaran highlighted that Tian Chua had never pushed or negotiated for him to vacate his seat to make way for him, even after winning his bid for a court to declare that he had been eligible to contest in the polls last year.

On Nov 6, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had ruled that Tian Chua was qualified to contest in the May 9 general election last year.

He had initially been barred from contesting in the May 9 general election due to a RM2,000 court fine previously imposed for insulting a policeman.

As a result, the Batu parliamentary seat was won by Prabakaran, a law student, who stood as an independent candidate.

In Tian Chua’s absence, his candidacy was endorsed by Pakatan Harapan.

Last week, Tian Chua said he was not focused on a by-election in Batu, adding that it was more important for him to clear his name regarding his eligibility to stand in the May 9 polls.

“The by-election depends on the situation and need. I leave it to my party (whether to hold a by-election or not).

“My purpose in doing this was to demand justice, not just for myself,” he told FMT.

PUTRAJAYA: Majlis Perundingan Keharmonian Rakyat (MPKR) dilancarkan hari ini bagi menggantikan fungsi dan tanggungjawab Majlis Konsultasi Perpaduan Negara (MKPN).

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, P Waytha Moorthy berkata MPKR akan menjadi mekanisme penasihat yang berwibawa kepada kerajaan dalam hal ehwal perpaduan dan kesejahteraan sosial bagi meneruskan usaha-usaha penyatuan nasional demi menjulang agenda perpaduan negara.

“Badan ini akan berfungsi sebagai sebuah entiti berkecuali sepenuhnya tanpa rasa takut dan terbatas, demi memastikan wujudnya sebuah bangsa Malaysia yang benar-benar bersatu,” katanya pada majlis pelancaran dan penyampaian watikah pelantikan ahli MPKR 2019-2022 hari ini.

Beliau berkata 14 ahli MPKR yang dilantik terdiri daripada pelbagai latar belakang antaranya ahli politik, para akademik, penjawat awam, pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO), wakil media, wakil masyarakat minoriti dan wakil belia.

“Selain menasihati menteri, mereka juga perlu memikirkan kaedah terbaik untuk memerangi cabaran yang kita hadapi, mengurangkan ketegangan kaum dengan matlamat menyeluruh untuk memperkukuhkan perpaduan negara,” katanya. Teks ucapannya dibacakan Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Perpaduan Negara dan Integrasi Nasional Baharin Idris.

Waytha berkata usaha meningkatkan dan memperkukuhkan perpaduan nasional akan sentiasa menjadi agenda utama kerajaan kerana masalah polarisasi kaum dan kecenderungan untuk melihat isu-isu dari segi perkauman mencapai tahap yang membimbangkan.

Beliau berkata Malaysia kini berdepan dengan pelbagai cabaran untuk mempertingkatkan perpaduan negara.

“Mesej-mesej kebencian kaum dan agama sering dilaungkan oleh pihak-pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab dan disebarkan melalui media sosial setiap masa,” katanya, sambil menambah situasi berkenaan bakal menjadi cabaran terbesar untuk digalas ahli-ahli MPKR baharu itu.

Ahli-ahli MPKR yang dilantik itu perlu lebih proaktif serta berhemah dalam mendepani isu-isu yang mencabar demi memastikan keutuhan perpaduan negara terpelihara setiap masa, katanya.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — Barisan Nasional (BN) will win back the Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituency, which was once the party’s fort, with Chinese votes expected to shift away from Pakatan Harapan (PH), think-tank Ilham Centre predicted.

In its observation report leading to the said prediction, the centre said that PH’s win in the 14th general election in Johor last year was in fact contributed predominantly by the issues surrounding former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and was not linked to Umno’s performance in Johor.

“The fall of Johor (to PH) that i the birth place and strongest fort of Umno, was contributed by factors in Putrajaya, and not because of the leadership in Johor.

“Our research shows a high approval rating towards the leadership of Khaled Nordin, who was Johor mentri besar at that time. The achievement, progress and track record of Umno Johor was at an excellent level. The only problem here was Najib Razak’s image, which caused Johor BN to be punished,” the report written by Mohd Azlan Zainal, Mohd Jalaluddin Hashim, Mohd Yusri Ibrahim and Associate Prof Hamidin Abd Hamid said.

They pointed out that the shift in votes towards PH therefore, was merely owing to the mood for change based on “critical factors”, while their party loyalty remained with BN.

The think-tank also cautioned that such a voting pattern is very fragile, and would not remain in PH’s favour.

The researchers predicted that Chinese voters would also revert to BN, after their field study of voters mood in Tanjung Piai, adding that the shift would happen mainly due to the dismal performance of PH in keeping to its election manifesto promises.

The report said that 59.1 per cent felt that the PH government failed to fulfill its election manifesto, while 59 per cent were unsatisfied with the federal government’s performance, with 53 per cent who felt that the Johor government’s performance was unsatisfactory.

As much as 60 per cent of those surveyed felt that cost of living is now higher than during BN’s governance.

It added that in the 14th general election in Tanjung Piai, it said that PH also only won in 11 voting districts, out the 27, with BN winning 16 others. It added that the districts won by PH, had predominantly ethnic Chinese voters, or a mix of races, while BN won the Malay-majority areas.

“The triumph of the PH candidate before this in the 14th general election, was contributed by the three-way battle between BN, PH and PAS. By way of a simple math, PH was actually left out by 1,902 votes, even before the battle began. In other words, Tanjung Piai is a BN stronghold even before it was created,” the report added.

Ilham Centre said that the late incumbent, Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik also won, because of the 42 per cent ethnic Chinese voters in Tanjung Piai.

Karmaine Sardini is the underdog

The findings said that BN candidate Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng, despite being an ethnic Chinese Opposition party member, is more popular compared to PH’s choice of a Malay candidate, Karmaine Sardini.

Ilham Centre credits this to Wee’s past experience, as he was already a regular in the area with good rapport with the residents of Tanjung Piai since the 90’s.

The report said that Karmaine, despite representing the ruling party in the state and the federal government, and with a background as a mosque imam and an architect, fails to outshine Wee, as he is seen as too ‘low profile’, unlike Wee.

“Wee Jeck Seng has been bonding with the people of Tanjung Piai since the 1990’s, as the then aide to former MCA president, Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, who served as MP for Tanjung Piai and Pontian.

“Respondents (75 per cent) also said that Wee has higher credibility compared to other candidates. Karmaine Sardini meanwhile, only received voters’ confidence rate of 24 per cent.

“Our qualitative findings also show that the BN candidate is more efficient in helping those affected by hardships, such as aid during typhoon, house fire and various others in just a short span of time, which got the people here talking about them,” the report added.

It said that Wee’s only shortcoming is the Opposition party he represents, which lacks resources and with Umno’s election machinery not fully behind him, helping in the by-election campaigns.

However, these shortcomings it said, are minor factors which does not affect Wee’s credibility.

Irony: PH playing up racial issues, unlike PAS, BN

The report said that an ironic point which has been displayed during the campaigns, is the lack of racial politics by Islamist party PAS and BN, which is led by its Malay-majority lynchpin party, Umno.

“When it comes to campaigning, one irony is when BN and their ally in the National Pact (Muafakat Nasional) that is PAS, not playing up racial issues, while PH is seen as attempting to play up these issues in their campaign series,” the report said.

It added that though PH’s election machinery is more organised compared to that in previous by-elections, it however, “failed to learn” from past experiences, and is still working in silos, and not as a united front.

“Even in this by-election, machineries of PH’s component parties are still practicing the silo campaigns,” it added.

The report said that Gerakan and Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) meanwhile, are canvassing in ethnic Chinese and Malay-dominant areas respectively.

“As a political party, Berjasa and Gerakan have their machinery strength, though most of them are outside parties,” it added.

Ilham Centre said that should a shift in ethnic Chinse votes happen, it is a “great slap” to PH, which is already affected by protest elements, owing to its performance as the both the state federal governments.

However, it said that such a shift should also not be construed as an endorsement from Tanjung Piai voters, of BN and PAS’ Nasional Pact alliance.

The Tanjung Piai constituency is a Malay majority seat and has 52,978 voters, including 280 early voters. Malays comprise 57 per cent of the voters while the Chinese comprise 41.4 per cent with the remaining made up of Indian voters.

The Tanjung Piai by-election is the eight since the 14th general election (GE14). By-elections have been held for the Rantau state seat (March 30); Sungai Kandis state seat (August 4 last year); Balakong and Seri Setia state seats (September 8 last year); Port Dickson parliamentary seat (October 13 last year); Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat (January 26) and Semenyih state seat (March 2).

Polling in the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election will be held on November 16 with early voting held on Tuesday..

The by-election was triggered after incumbent, Dr Md Farid died of heart complications on September 21.

He won the seat in the previous general election after he defeated BN’s Wee and PAS’s Nordin Othman in a three-way contest.

The seat has been traditionally contested by MCA and DAP since 2004. In 2018, DAP ceded the seat to Bersatu to contest under its PH campaign.