Voters urged to look at the bigger picture

KUCHING: Voters in Sarawak are urged to look at the bigger picture instead of worrying about the choice of the next prime minister or his age.

National Parti Keadilan Rakyat ( PKR) vice-women chief Voon Shiak Ni said the majority of voters might be taken aback by Pakatan Harapan’s ( PH) choice of prime minister but they ought to comprehend the reasons behind it.

“Maybe they are quite surprised why PH has picked a 93-year- old to be the prime minister should we win the next general election. We don’t want to explain too much but we have to because it is the voters’ right to know of our choice,” she told a press conference here yesterday.

She was commenting on the recent PH’s announcement of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as its candidate for prime minister.

Voon said one of reasons behind the choice was that Dr Mahathir the fourth prime minister of Malaysia is capable of penetrating the Malay heartlands for PH.

She admitted that the opposition coalition would need the help of Dr Mahathir if they wanted to wrest Putrajaya from the Barisan Nasional this coming election.

“We have to put him ( Dr Mahathir) there so that we can win the election. We need him there to lend a hand to change the government,” she said.

To a question, she said Dr Mahathir ‘is the only chance to secure the possibility of change after GE14’.

According to Voon, the opposition won the popular votes but lost the power to rule to the BN in the last general election due to gerrymandering.

She said PH must have the numbers (of seats) if it wants to win the election.

She thus believed Dr Mahathir alone would be able to secure 20 to 30 Malay-majority seats for the opposition.

“How can the voters help? They must come together regardless of who the prime minister is,” she said.

She said those individuals who held an indifferent attitude towards politics should start playing a role in making their voices heard in the next election.

“Do not say that politics has nothing to do with you or that you are not interested in politics, or politics doesn’t affect you. Do not tell me that fuel prices and GST (Goods and Services Tax) do not affect you.

“Look beyond who the prime minister is and his age. Our main objective is to give Malaysia a change. Let’s come together to vote for change.”

She said the opposition coalition had to be given the chance to change the system instead of merely assuming the role of check-and-balance for years.

She added that PH would require a bigger majority because a hung Parliament would not do any good to the situation aiming for a thorough change.

“We missed the chance in GE13 not because the people did not want us but because of gerrymandering. So this time, consolidate the votes for us,” she added.