NIBONG TEBAL: A top Parti Amanah Negara leader has turned the tables on the Perikatan Nasional opposition bloc, particularly PAS, over their claims of few Malay voices in the Penang State Legislative Assembly.
Amanah vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said it is Pas and its allies in PN who should be held accountable for the absence of Malay voices in the state assembly.
"I want to tell PN and Pas this. Of course, there are few Malay voices as the unity government's candidates lost to your candidates in the last state elections.
"If candidates from Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional had won, of course there will be more Malay, Islam voices in the unity government.
"So, if you really want more Malay voices in the unity government, ask your candidate for the Sungai Bakap by-election to withdraw and make way for the unity government's candidate," Mahfuz said adding that his suggestion is the most logical thing to do.
He added that PN still had time to withdraw from the race in the July 6 by-election.
"After all, this is what you have been preaching…the lack of Malay and Islam voices in the unity government," said Mahfuz during a ceremah in Sungai Kechil here last night.
Mahfuz said Pas and PN should not have contested in the by-election if they are really sincere on wanting greater Malay voices in the unity government.
"So, it is Pas that is really preventing such a thing from happening. Not DAP. In fact, the DAP, particularly Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, was the one who accompanied (PH candidate for the Sungai Bakap by-electon) Joohari (Ariffin) to the nomination centre yesterday.
"This means that the DAP can accept the entry of another Malay and Islam voice in the state legislative assembly," he added.
As such, Mahfuz urged the voters in Sungai Kechil polling district to reject the party responsible for preventing more Malay and Islam voices in the unity government.
He also said the opposition should stop portraying their political hypocrisy.
"They keep preaching Malay, Islam. But today, when we want to send our candidate to the state legislative assembly, they are ones preventing it from happening.
"So I want to urge Pas, which always preached about political maturity, to walk the talk this by-election to fulfil what it had been preaching all along," he said.
The by-election for the Sungai Bakap state seat in Penang would see a straight fight between Joohari and Abidin Ismail of PN.
The by-election is being held following the death of its assemblyman, Pas' Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24.
In the 2023 state polls, Nor Zamri won the Sungai Bakap state seat for PN against PKR's Nurhidayah Che Rus with a 1,563 vote-majority.