‘DAP bent on using Dr M to fish for Malay votes’
KOTA BARU: DAP’s willingness to sacrifice its own logo in the 14th General Election (GE14) sends out a clear signal that it is bent on using Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to entice Malay votes, says Datuk Seri Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin.
Fairus, who is former Penang deputy chief minister 1, said DAP realised that its ability to capture Malay votes was limited and, as such, decided to forgo its rocket symbol to hide behind the PKR banner.
The former Penanti state assemblyman said DAP’s failure to bring down Barisan Nasional via Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim resulted in it using Dr Mahathir as its latest “tool”.
“When DAP saw that there was internal friction between Dr Mahathir and Umno leaders, it seized the opportunity to use Dr Mahathir to gain Malay support, thus splitting their vote.
“DAP has been consistent with its anti-Malay and anti-Islam stand. It figured this was the opportune moment to use Dr Mahathir to fish for the much-needed Malay votes,” he said at a GE14 talk here on Sunday night.
Fairus, who left PKR in 2010 before joining Umno, said the people were disappointed by Dr Mahathir’s betrayal.
However, he remained optimistic that voters would be mature and judge for themselves what the “truth” was.
The people, he said, did not want those who lacked principles as what the country needed was stability.
“We should develop the country for the sake of our children and grandchildren, and this is done with stability and respect for each other.
“Sadly, this is not evident within the opposition pact.
“To date, they have yet to form a legitimate opposition coalition registered with the Registry of Societies.
“If they cannot manage to accomplish even small tasks, what hope is there for bigger things.”