Chua: PR can’t take six states
(The Star) – Pakatan Rakyat will not be able to capture six states, including Perak, in the May 5 polls, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.
He said PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who claimed this in an interview with Singapore’s Channel News Asia, could continue to dream or “hallucinate” but the fact was his party was crumbling.
“Only two of PKR’s 34 founding members are still with the party.
“Eleven of Pakatan’s elected representatives in the last general election have also left the coalition,” Dr Chua said after a ground-breaking ceremony for SJK (C) Lawan Kuda Baru’s basketball court here yesterday.
He said Anwar had also claimed that 30 Barisan MPs would leave to join Pakatan on Sept 16 shortly after the 2008 elections but it turned out to be a hoax.
Dr Chua, also Perak MCA chairman, said Pakatan would not be able to repeat its feat in Perak this elections.
Apart from Perak, the other states captured by Pakatan in 2008 were Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Kelantan.
In the last elections, DAP won 18 state seats while PAS and PKR won a combined 13 state seats, against Barisan’s 28, resulting in Pakatan capturing the state.
However, three Pakatan assemblymen declared themselves as independents and Barisan-friendly in 2009, resulting in a new state government being formed by Barisan.
Dr Chua said DAP not only failed to service the people after its victory, but also deserted them to chart its entry to Johor this round.
The Opposition, he added, had always taken the people’s support for granted.
Dr Chua said he was confident that Barisan would be able to wrest back the Gopeng parliamentary seat and its two state seats – Teja and Simpang Pulai – this round.
On PAS’ agenda to implement its brand of hudud, he said this could happen when Pakatan wrested Putrajaya.
“Of the 222 MPs in the country, 145 are Muslims.
“It only takes PAS to propose the amendments to the Federal Constitution in Parliament, and all Muslim MPs would have to support it out of religious obligations,” he explained, expressing his concern that many Chinese and non-Muslims were still not clear about this.
As such, he said a vote for DAP was a vote for PAS and its Islamist state.
On the blast near a Barisan operations centre in Nibong Tebal on Wednesday, Dr Chua said there was no need to resort to violence.
He also lamented that DAP had been practising politics of hatred since last elections and this had affected some young people.
Dr Chua said DAP would condemn anyone who did not support the Opposition or its agenda.
