GEORGE TOWN – PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has confirmed his desire to contest the Pandan parliamentary seat which he had held briefly from 2013 to 2018.
“It is my base. I have family and friends there who can help me,” he said, adding that the matter has been brought up and discussed with the top leadership in PKR.
He said this after addressing a townhouse gathering at Komtar where he assured the people that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is intent on taking over the federal government in the 15th general election (GE15).
To illustrate their commitment, Rafizi said that the selection of the candidates would be transparent and accountable to both the public and the candidates.
“We will ensure it is transparent so the voters can see that we have nothing to hide,” he said.
The Pandan seat is currently occupied by former PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who had been fielded there in the election of 2018.
Rafizi lost his eligibility to defend the seat as he had been sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for divulging confidential bank information related to the National Feedlot Corporation case. His appeal on the sentencing was then pending.
Rafizi also said that the negotiations for the 222 parliamentary seats among the PH parties of PKR, DAP, Amanah and Upko are more or less resolved with just Kedah and Sabah having overlapping claims.
“The matter should be resolved by the time the PH leadership council meets on Wednesday. We are on the right track,” he said.
Rafizi also said that Umno is living in denial if it does not want to accept that its Malay support is eroding due to self-inflicted controversies such as the littoral combat ships (LCS) fiasco and the imprisonment of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
It is good for Pakatan Harapan (PH) if Umno wants to believe their own lies and continue to be in self-denial, he said.
“The problem with Umno is that they refuse to answer issues. They like to twist and turn and use race (issue).
“The question is our sampling has shown that Umno is losing Malay support because of the controversies they had triggered themselves.”
Last night, Rafizi disclosed that the latest survey sampling of Malay voters by PKR has shown that support for PH is returning after the controversy over the LCS, and Najib’s stunning imprisonment last month over a corruption conviction.
Rafizi also told a press conference today that Umno continues to be misguided if it feels that by harping on race or religion, they can continue to make inroads into the Malay psyche.
“I think they or many other parties are mistaken if they can claim support just by harping on race or religion. Some want to racialise everything. The voters have moved on.”
Rafizi also stressed that the next election will witness several factors at play, such as “bread and butter” issues in terms of cost of living and the addressing of climate change. – The Vibes, October 2, 2022
