Mahathir calls for united front to defeat BN
It doesn’t matter who leads the fight, even if it’s from PAS, the prime objective is to defeat BN, says ex-PM.
(FMT) – Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, sounding like the opposition leader, has called for combined efforts to defeat the Barisan Nasional, which he led for two decades, at two parliamentary by-elections next month.
He warned opposition parties against splitting the anti-BN vote, citing the recent elections in Sarawak where the DAP, PKR, PAS and Amanah were engaged in several multi-cornered contests against the Barisan.
He was confident that one-to-one contests would defeat BN in the two by-elections by collectively voting for the opposition candidate.
“It doesn’t matter who leads the fight, we must have only one party to fight BN because we know if there are two or three (opposition) candidates like what had happened in Sarawak, the votes will be split and BN will win.”
The BN won a landslide victory on May 7, being returned to 72 seats in the 82-seat assembly, with the DAP losing five of its 12 seats and PKR failing to make gains beyond the three seats it had held.
Two peninsular MPs were killed in a helicopter crash in Sarawak, causing by-elections to be called on June 19 in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, and Sungai Besar, Selangor.
PAS has claimed the right to contest the two seats as the party has done since Merdeka, according to PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang.
Dr Mahathir told a Save Malaysia movement gathering last night the fact that PAS was not part of the Pakatan Harapan alliance should not stop both sides combining against the ruling coalition.
“We don’t care who the candidate is, even if it’s from PAS and PAS is not with us, the prime objective however is to defeat BN to show Najib the rakyat no longer supports him.
The Save Malaysia movement seeks to oust prime minister Najib Razak and has since claimed to have obtained more than a million signatures from the rakyat who want the same thing.
Malayskini reported that only about 300 people attended the event.
