KUALA LUMPUR – Non-governmental organisations have lambasted DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke’s call to reconsider Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the sole candidate for the prime minister’s post, following PKR’s wipeout in the Melaka election.
In a joint press conference today, Otai Reformis 1998 and Gabungan Bertindak Memorandum Rakyat Malaysia (GBMRM) expressed their condemnation of Loke’s comments and defended the PKR president.
Otai Reformis 1998 secretary Abdul Razak Ismail stated that the loss suffered by Pakatan Harapan during the Melaka election should not be pinned solely on Anwar as many other factors contributed to the defeat.
“The Melaka election was completely new for PH due to the enforcement of standard operating procedures that limited the ability of parties to hold open talks and mobilise political machinery.
“Instead of putting the blame on Anwar, post-mortems and further analyses should be conducted by the party to determine what exactly went wrong so that they will stand a better chance come GE15,” he said, adding that Loke should not have jumped the gun when making the statement.
Echoing Razak’s sentiments was GBMRM president Mustapa Mansor, who pointed out that the state election saw a low voter turnout rate that he alleged contributed to the opposition party’s loss.
“Nearly 20% of PH voters did not return to Melaka to vote. If voter turnout rates had been higher, we would have surely been in a tighter competition with BN and PN.
“There was no need for Loke to make a public statement on the matter as he could have raised his concerns during presidential council meetings among PH leaders,” Mustapa said.
On November 27, The Malaysian Insight had reported Loke as saying that the coalition should instead talk more about the reform agenda, and not just about making Anwar prime minister.
Meanwhile, both groups also lamented the recent increase in the price of goods, and urged the rakyat to fight and protest against worrying changes that will directly impact their lives.
“We are giving the government one week to respond to our concerns. If they fail to do so within the given amount of time, Otai Reformasi 1998 along with other organisations will mobilise the people to make our frustrations known,” Razak said.
A flash mob was held by the roadside following the press conference today, with passers-by honking to show their support for the cause. – The Vibes, November 29, 2021
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