By Nasuha Badrul Huzaini
SHAH ALAM, Nov 6 — Voters in the upcoming 15th general election (GE15) have been urged to be wary of smear campaigns against Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) as its rivals become more desperate, said Gombak parliamentary seat candidate Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
Quoting ‘desperate people do desperate things’, the Menteri Besar said such a situation would prompt Harapan’s political opponents to formulate lies and slanders.
“They will create slanders, they have made various accusations against the Harapan government, therefore I am asking for your help (to vote in favour of Harapan).
“All Pandan voters today, it does not matter if your name is Ah Yam, Muthu, Dollah, Kassim, Ella or Elango, all Pandan folks now are Rafizi Ramli as his voice represents Pandan,” he said in his ceramah during Harapan's Ceramah Mega ‘Ayuh Malaysia Kita Boleh’ in Pandan last night, which was broadcasted live on social media.
Also in attendance were Harapan’s Pandan candidate Rafizi Ramli and its Ampang candidate Rodziah Ismail.
Amirudin added initially he was not confident when instructed to contest in Gombak but receiving widespread support from the people boosted it, emphasising that he will ensure the ‘traitors’ do not win Gombak.
“From the first day my name was announced as the Gombak candidate, up until today, I received the same messages from local folks.
“They said, 'all the best Amir, make sure to get rid of traitors in Gombak',” he said.
Meanwhile, several efforts are gradually being carried out Harapan, including to combat corruption at its core.
“After Harapan took over the government, the country’s corruption index declined from 61 to 51 points in 2019.
“This achievement is a testament that the international business community’s trust towards administrative transparency increased during the Harapan government’s tenure.
“Even such an achievement cannot be denied by those who contributed to the collapse of the Harapan government,” he said.
Yesterday, Amirudin, who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) vice-president, was announced as the second candidate for the Gombak parliamentary seat by the Election Commission (EC), facing off against four other contenders.
The other candidates include three-term incumbent Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali on the Perikatan Nasional ticket, Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin on the Barisan Nasional ticket, Datuk Aziz Jamaludin Mhd Tahir on the Parti Pejuang Tanah Air ticket, and Independent candidate Zulkifli Ahmad.
The candidates would carry out campaigning over a 14-day period until November 18. The EC has set the polling day on November 19, with early voting to be held on November 15.
