‘Outdated’ to try and win Penang with race, religion: PKR man

GEORGE TOWN – A Penang PKR leader has expressed disdain at Bersatu’s rhetoric that Penang would have a Malay chief minister if the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition wins the upcoming state election.

Calling such racial posturing “outdated” and divisive, Jason Ong said that Penang is one of the most racially diverse states in the country and voters here would not simply buy into such ethnic or religious inducement in their campaign material.

The state PKR legal bureau chairman and Kebun Bunga assemblyman said that in reality, no elected representative has won a seat because of just one race of voters.

If such data can be made public, Ong said, it would be seen that even non-Malays voted for PN candidates, although in small numbers.

Those in PAS and Bersatu must realise that they won seats because a number of Chinese and Indians also voted for them, especially in the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang, as well as in Perlis and Kedah, said Ong.

“Malay leaders in the past were rejected in Penang simply because they represented parties many voters perceived to be corrupt and lacking in sound leadership,” he said to The Vibes.

This has been shown judging from the corruption allegations levelled at them, he added.

Ong was responding to a report that quoted Penang Bersatu information head Rasman Farish Shamsuddin as saying that the chief minister of the state must be selected from among the Malay leaders under PN.

The coalition’s components are Bersatu, PAS, and Gerakan.

“The time has come for a Malay chief minister here,” Rasman was reported as saying.

To achieve this, Rasman said, PN must win at least 21 out of 40 state seats here.

In Penang, up to 15 seats are classified as Malay-majority ones while the rest have mixed demographics and several others are Chinese-dominant.

“We will try to change the negative perception that some quarters have of a Malay chief minister in Penang,” Rasman said. 

Ong said that in the present and possibly the future, voters would move towards supporting candidates based on their integrity and capabilities.

“Even if the leaders are smart, they may be rejected,” he said, stressing that smart political leaders are known to have plundered countries.

It can in fact backfire if one is too smart as a politician, as one ends up devising policies and strategies to enrich oneself only at the expense of the common person, he said.

While there is no denying that race and religion carry weight, voters will now see these as being secondary to integrity and the ability to govern effectively.

“This trend will show in this coming election, especially as voters now can choose a national unity government with more than 20 parties working together for the betterment of the country, not just a ragtag group of three parties in PN who are only trying to woo voters with race and religion,” said Ong. – The Vibes, March 31, 2023