‘Nothing wrong in attending a concert’
PORT DICKSON: PKR secretary- general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has defended Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s attendance at a free Picnic@PD concert following criticisms from electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0.
Saifuddin said there was nothing wrong with Anwar attending the concert on Saturday, which featured top local artistes like M. Nasir and Awie.
He said an election campaign was about reaching out to the local residents and various strategies could be used to engage the voters.
“It can come in a form of a dialogue, town hall session, house-to-house meetings, dinners and many other ways.
“If there is a group organising a concert or a ceramah, that’s just a method. So, I think that’s a normal way to reach out to voters,” he told reporters at Pakatan Harapan’s operations centre yesterday.
“We can also do live (talks) via social media and we don’t have to be too rigid with our campaign methods,” he said.
The free Picnic@PD concert – organised by the Anwar Ibrahim Club, Pertubuhan Khidmat Kebajikan Masyarakat Madani and Muafakat Anak Muda Port Dickson – also saw bands like Khalifah and Gerhana Skacinta performing.
It has drawn flak from Bersih 2.0, which complained that the cost of organising the concert was unclear and that the Election Commission should ensure that no candidate was manipulating the event to campaign for the by-election.
The free Picnic@PD concert, Saifuddin said, was aimed at reaching out to younger voters.
As the campaign entered into the eighth day before polling on Oct 13, Saifuddin said Anwar had reached out to nearly every segment of voters in all five state constituencies within Port Dickson – Linggi, Sri Tanjung, Chuah, Bagan Pinang and Lukut.
Saifuddin also urged outstation voters to return on polling day, adding that they made up 35% of the 75,770 registered voters in Port Dickson.
He also hoped that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s presence in the Pakatan Harapan mega ceramah today would boost voter turnout.
“It is important because the day after on Tuesday, it is early voting day,” he said.
The past three by-elections have been marked by poor voter turnout, hovering less than 50%.
The Oct 13 polls will see a seven-cornered fight between Pakatan, PAS, and five other independent candidates.