KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 21 clubs and non-governmental associations, representing around 20,000 people in the Titiwangsa parliamentary constituency, today declared their support for their elected representative, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Sukarelawan Warga Titiwangsa (SWAT) president, Muhamad Hariff Ahamat, who served as the spokesman for the club and NGOs, said they offered their full support for the leadership of Johari, who is Umno Titiwangsa division chief.
They expressed confidence that Johari, who is also Finance Minister II, will ensure victory for Barisan Nasional (BN) with an even bigger majority in the coming 14th General Election (GE14).
“We wish to stress that Datuk Jo is a ‘wakil rakyat’ who is favoured by many here, is approachable and regularly spends time with the constituents every week.
“The residents here, clubs and NGOs are also well aware of his numerous programmes conducted here for the betterment of the locals,” he told a press conference at Taman Maluri here, today.
Around 100 representatives from 21 clubs and NGOs were present at the event. They included the Titiwangsa Belia 4B, Malaysian Youth Congress (MAYC), Sukarelawan Warga Titiwangsa (SWAT), Majlis Belia Kawasan Titiwangsa as well as Persatuan Anak-Anak Jelatek Kuala Lumpur.
Also present were Kelab Belia Ekspresi, Kelab Belia Amal Titiwangsa, Pertubuhan Pemuda Komuniti Seri Perlis 1, Persatuan Belia Bakti Keramat Mall, Kuala Lumpur Women of Wisdom (KLWOW), Kelab Bola Sepak Super Strikers, Kelab Media Siber Kuala Lumpur and NRC Titiwangsa.
Muhamad Hariff said they were compelled to demonstrate their support for Johari in the wake of repeated attacks by Kelab Aku Budak Chow Kit (KABCK).
“We don’t even know where this club came from. They appear to be newly-set up and they’re already stirring up trouble. We’re also puzzled as only yesterday, they claimed they were the ones who had set up banners (defaming Johari), but on March 20, they had denied it.
“So what’s their motive? This has disrupted the harmony in Titiwangsa,” he said, claiming that KABCK had clearly contravened Section 13 (1) (C) (ii) of the Societies Act.
“This association appears to have been used to break the law,” he claimed.
Last week, social media was rife with images of banners emblazoned with banners urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to select another candidate apart from Johari for the seat. The banners were allegedly strung up in the Chow Kit and Keramar areas, which come under the Titiwangsa constituency.
However, Johari was later quoted as saying that the ‘mischievous’ acts of the group was part and parcel of politics.