‘DR M’S PRESENCE CAN BOOST VOTER TURNOUT’

PM’s willingness to campaign for PH shows his commitment to help Anwar, says Saifuddin

THE presence of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to assist PKR presidentelect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the Port Dickson by-election can lead to a bigger voter turnout.

PKR secretarygeneral Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Dr Mahathir’s willingness to campaign for PH in the by-election reflected his commitment to help Anwar return to the political stage.

“It is a known fact that Tun M (Dr Mahathir) rarely appears in by-election campaigns, even when he was with Barisan Nasional.

“When he decides to go to Port Dickson, of course, the PKR machinery team is very pleased and welcomes Tun (Dr) Mahathir. It will boost the spirit of the machinery and voters, especially those who live outside Port Dickson.”

He said this at a press conference at the PKR operations centre here. Present was Negri Sembilan PKR chairman Aminuddin Harun.

Saifuddin said 10,000 visitors were expected to attend the talk, which will be attended by senior PH leaders, such as Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

He said the programme would be held near PD Gateway, Batu 6 here, at 8pm tomorrow. He expressed hope that Dr Mahathir’s presence would persuade voters to support PH.

“Dr Mahathir’s presence will dispel rumours of a fallout with Anwar. It is significant in boosting the spirit of the campaign machinery.

“Yesterday, Dr Mahathir made an appeal to voters outside Port Dickson to return and vote. I received many messages urging voters to vote.

“I hope the public will not take Dr Mahathir’s call lightly.”