PONTIAN: Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Karmaine Sardini is the best person to continue the legacy of government leadership in the Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituency, said Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pix). He said if the estimated 53,000 voters in Tanjung Piai choose Karmaine, they can be assured of better access to assistance from government agencies.
This would not be the case if they voted for the opposition because the fact is that government representatives are in a better position to solve problems and get allocations for development, he said.
“I’m not saying we are greater but this is the reality,” he told reporters after the nomination of candidates for the Tanjung Piai by-election at Dewan Jubli Intan Sultan Ibrahim here today.
Also present were top PH leaders including DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, PKR vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin and Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub. The by-election is a six-cornered fight involving Karmaine, BN’s Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng, Gerakan’s Wendy Subramaniam, Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah (Berjasa) president Datuk Dr Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz and independent candidates Dr Ang Chuan Lock, 49, and Faridah Aryani Abd Ghaffar, 45.
Muhyiddin said Karmaine, the Bersatu Tanjung Piai division chief, is an experienced leader with a good background including being a mosque imam, and thus should be the people’s choice.
Muhyiddin, who is Home Minister, said PH would concentrate on tackling the five key issues of cost of living, job opportunities, health, quality of life and education.
“We will emphasise certain matters, how to clarify the key issues and how we can help the people,” he said, adding that the PH machinery had been prepared since a month ago at 27 district polling centres for the by-election.
To make it easier for those working in Singapore to return to vote, Muhyiddin said, a special lane would be open at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Johor Bahru, from early morning on polling day on Nov 16.
The Tanjung Piai seat fell vacant following the death of Dr Md Farid Md Rafik on Sept 21.
In the 14th general election, Dr Md Farid of PH polled 21,255 votes to beat Wee (20,731 votes) and PAS candidate Nordin Othman (2,962 votes). — Bernama
