MUAR – Pejuang has quashed speculation of the party being linked to property tycoon Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew despite him appearing alongside party chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on his Johor campaign trail yesterday.
Pejuang information chief Ulya Aqamah Husamudin told The Vibes that Lee was present with Dr Mahathir just to offer his moral support for the nonagenarian and nothing more.
“Yes, he was just thumping with Tun, I think maybe it is because this is the first time Tun is going out after he recovered.
“So I think he was just there to show support,” Ulya said when contacted.
He also denied Lee had any external links to the party either as a backer or funder, or if Lee had somehow become a member.
“It is a party strictly for bumiputeras, so he cannot even become a member if he wanted to,” he added.
This follows rumours of Lee’s agenda after he was seen trailing Dr Mahathir during the former prime minister’s campaign trail in Ayer Hitam yesterday where he urged members of the Chinese community there to vote for Pejuang candidates.
Lee, co-founder of Country Heights and The Mines Resort developments, when giving a speech at one of the venues praised Dr Mahathir’s leadership in steering the country out of the 1997 Asian economic crisis.
The tycoon condemned Dr Mahathir’s nemesis, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, saying those who have been convicted by the courts should not be allowed to roam around freely.
Interestingly, Lee has yet to thump alongside his daughter Dian, a Central Executive Committee member of youth-based party Muda, as she campaigns alongside their Johor candidates. – The Vibes, March 4, 2022