TEBRAU – Johor PKR vice-chief Jimmy Puah rejected the notion that Tebrau will be a walk in the park for Pakatan Harapan in the 15th general election, as voters remain bitter about the infamous Sheraton Move that ultimately ended the coalition’s rule in Malaysia.
Speaking to the press at his command centre in Tebrau tonight, the two-term Bukit Batu ex-assemblyman said that until today, people still lash at him about the Sheraton Move whenever he is out in public.
“PKR is still feeling the brunt of the people’s lack of forgiveness for our former colleagues’ betrayal,” said the 46-year-old politician.
Puah also said that the challenge now is to rally support from younger voters, who form a good 20% of the constituency’s registered voters.
“I do not agree that Tebrau is an easy seat for PKR. We have to admit that we face challenges with the current political fatigue among the rakyat, not to mention the negative views that the people have of politicians at the moment.”
He also said that many voters are still unaware that PH will be contesting this election using its logo, especially among the younger voters.
Commenting on his debut in the federal constituency for GE15, Puah said that while he has always planned to make the jump from the state to national level, the matter was nonetheless fast-tracked after PKR’s representative for Tebrau, Steven Choong, left the party together with then PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali for Bersatu-led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Tebrau is a mixed seat, comprising 223,000 registered voters, and is the largest constituency in the state, measuring at 136,000ha.
In the last general election, Choong took Tebrau in a landslide victory, with a majority of 37,225 votes, defeating Hou Kok Chung of MCA and PAS’ Abdullah Husin. – The Vibes, November 6, 2022
