[UPDATED] Forget ‘asal bukan Umno’ battle cry, PKR must offer better solutions: Nik Nazmi

SHAH ALAM – PKR can no longer count on the “asal bukan Umno” (anyone but Umno) rallying cry to attract support in the coming general election, said newly minted vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Cautioning party members against being complacent, he instead urged them to present better solutions to the public rather than rely on identity politics.

Highlighting the emergence of new political parties since 2018, Nik Nazmi told congress delegates that the newer generation of voters are more well versed in national politics and policies that affect their quality of life.

“With the election looming, we can no longer use the ABU (asal bukan Umno) approach. We cannot go to the people only with the hopes that we are not Umno and that they will vote for us.

“There are many political parties out there. Some even took our approach of being a multiracial group while others are creative in their approach,” he said in his winding-up speech during PKR’s national congress at the Ideal Convention Centre here.

Nik Nazmi again stressed that PKR should not count on the weaknesses or public gaffes of their political rivals, but instead focus on their efforts to alleviate the burdens of the people.

Speaking after Nik Nazmi was party vice-president Datuk Seri Amiruddin Shaari who reiterated the same message that the party must present new solutions to the people.

Amiruddin said PKR must differentiate itself from parties in Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional who he claimed prioritised political manoeuvring rather focusing on reviving a battered economy.

“Malaysia is expected to face a recession sometime in the first half of next year. Yet Putrajaya does not talk about this issue.

“What do we hear from them? When to hold the elections, when to change the PM. That is it,” he said. – The Vibes, July 17, 2022