AFTER four years of hiatus due to infighting, the People's Progressive Party (MyPPP) is making a comeback on the Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB) by-election campaign trail
Buoyed by the endorsement of BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also a deputy prime minister and the Umno president, MyPPP treasurer-general Datuk Seri Daljit Singh Dhaliwal said it was timely for the party to resume its struggle.
Zahid endorsed the party at a recent rally in which he said MyPPP had not technically left the coalition but was left out temporarily due to its legal issues.
The BN Supreme Council will meet soon to officially welcome MyPPP back into the fold. For now, the party is part of the BN campaign machinery, Zahid had said.
Daljit said MyPPP had never left BN but had encountered legal issues with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
Daljit, a former MIC senator, had quit the party to work with a civil society group but was coaxed into rejoining MyPPP by its Penang strongman and acting president Datuk Dr Loga Balan Mohan after party president Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz died last year.
"MyPPP is an ideal party because of its multi-racial stance. Although the party is mostly dominated by the Indian community, it believes in a pluralistic world."
Daljit said the party, unlike others, never demanded for positions even after the unity government assumed power.
"It is a grassroots party that can be instrumental in wooing the voters in KKB to vote for the unity set-up," said Daljit.
"The message we will carry to the voters, particularly the Indians, is to support a coalition with a long track record in governance.
"We cannot take chances with the opposition which was formed out of the selfish aims of a few individuals."
BN-Pakatan Harapan (PH), the Sabah and Sarawak blocs, and a few friendly splinter parties are the best bet to take the country forward in an uncertain global economy, he said, adding that BN-PH has gained the trust of many voters.
If its performance is being questioned, it is because efforts to rebuild the country is a work in progress that takes time, said Daljit.
MyPPP has begun to campaign in KKB with the message that the government needs support to continue its work to rebuild the nation.
Daljit said many parties are clamouring to represent the Indians but voters must ask if they can resolve the issues as the opposition.
"Never underestimate the powers of the incumbent. BN and PH in the states they have governed for over a decade have proven their capabilities but the others have not. This was why MyPPP chose to remain in BN."
MyPPP was embroiled in a leadership tussle in 2018, when its then president Tan Sri M. Kayveas tried to take the party out of BN after the coalition lost the general election. The tussle was resolved last year after the ROS ratified the new party leadership. – April 30, 2024.
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