Dr M: DAP risking it with Chinese vote in BN’s Johor fort
Ida Lim, TMI
DAP is taking a risk by counting on Chinese votes in Johor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said, dowsing the opposition party’s southern campaign in doubt by insisting that the state is still a Barisan Nasional (BN) fortress.
The former prime minister shrugged off DAP’s strategy of fielding heavyweights like veteran politician Lim Kit Siang to take on Gelang Patah, an urban MCA-held stronghold in Johor, saying he wondered why the party believes it could be victorious.
“That’s a risk taken by them. Johor is a BN stronghold. Don’t know how they think (they) can win there,” Dr Mahathir said in an interview published in Utusan Malaysia’s weekend edition today.
“Don’t know. Maybe, they received information that we don’t know. But as far as I know, Johor is not a safe area for opposition parties although we find that the attitude of the Chinese is not as before. But, we find now they return to support BN,” the former BN chairman and Umno president said when asked about the federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s bid to take over Johor in Election 2013.
He suggested that DAP was setting its sights on Johor because the party believes it has the support of the Chinese community there.
He commented on the opposition’s strategy of aiming at Chinese votes in Johor seats, accusing DAP for allegedly being racist, claiming it is a “Chinese party” despite the party saying it has a multiracial membership and leadership.
