DAP: Pakatan is finished if Anwar loses
If the majority of Kajang voters do not cast their ballots in favour of the PKR de facto leader, Malaysians can forget about ever toppling BN, says Tony Pua
Anisah Shukry, FMT
The PKR-engineered Kajang state seat by-election slated for March 23 would be the end of Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat should the PKR de facto leader fails to win, said DAP.
Its publicity chief, Tony Pua, told a forum last night that Malaysians could forget about ever toppling the BN government if the majority of Kajang voters did not cast their ballots in favour of Anwar.
“If Anwar loses the by-election, Pakatan is finished. Forget about ‘Ubah’, forget about throwing out BN. It’s a crucial election that cannot be taken lightly,” Pua told a large audience at the Kajang Move forum.
“BN is going to use all its ammunition to attack Anwar. They know if he falls, that’s the end of Anwar and Pakatan,” he warned, adding that this was perhaps the reason for the long delay of the by-election.
Former Kajang state assemblyman and PKR member Lee Chin Cheh resigned last week, paving way for Anwar to stand for the by-election and become a member of the Selangor State Assembly.
But with nomination day on March 11 and voting day on March 23, this allows all parties almost two months of preparation.
Fellow panelist Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad of PAS described the Kajang Move as a ‘high-risk’ gamble, but quipped that this meant it would also yield high returns, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
“Kajang is not just another by-election. It is a litmus test for our roadmap to Putrajaya. The contest is certainly of significance,” he said, stopping short of saying a loss of would spell Pakatan’s doom.
Meanwhile, Pua’s declaration did not go down well with fellow panelist, former Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga, nor with several audience members.
“I don’t think [Pua] should pitch his case that way. With all due respect, your party should be stronger than that. You should trust Malaysians,” she said.
During the question and answer session, an audience member also chastised Pua for being “unfair” and “threatening” voters with such a gloomy prophecy.
