Tg Piai by-poll loss: LDP blames Dr M, Guan Eng, Maszlee, Zakir
Published on: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
By: NST
KOTA KINABALU: The voters have sent a strong message that they are extremely disgruntled by the performance of Pakatan Harapan (PH) government following the coalition’s massive defeat in the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election.
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Datuk Chin Su Phin (pic) said it reflected the people’s sentiment after the 14th General Election (GE14).
ADVERTISEMENT
“Malaysian voters toppled the Barisan Nasional (BN) government because the then ruling coalition kept stirring up racial and religious issues.
“The people saw hope in the last general election and believed that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Lim Guan Eng could give the country a breath of fresh air.”
Chin said the people were gradually realising that Dr Mahathir was returning to his old ways, while Lim reneged on his election promise to support Tunku Abdul Rahman University College by slashing half of the allocation to the higher learning institution.
Chin pointed out that the present government had criticised the problematic national education policy before GE14 yet appointed an inexperienced Dr Maszlee Malik as Education Minister, who has evoked strong protests over introduction of Jawi script and the replacement of white shoes with black, among other policies.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the people also saw no sense in the government protecting India-born Muslim preacher Zakir Naik who has repeatedly stoked racial tension with his controversial remarks.
“The people wanted improvements in their wellbeing and employment opportunities, but they are being served a different reality.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the BN-MCA’s victory in the by-election did not mean BN stood a chance to regain Putrajaya in the next general election.
“How the political landscape evolves in the next two to three years remains unclear,” he told a political seminar held at LDP headquarters, Sunday.
On the other hand, Chin said the impending Sarawak state election would be a barometer of the people’s support for local-based parties, which would influence the politics in Sabah as well.
He pointed out that Democratic Action Party (DAP) was put in an awkward position when it came to Islamic-related issues, resulting in rising discontent among the Chinese as the Chinese leaders in government were not speaking up for them.
Chin said this was an opportunity for LDP as he believed that constant provocation of sensitive political issues would push Sabahans towards the footsteps of Sarawakians in voting for local parties.
He said the people should not consider peninsula-based parties in the next general election.
“At present, Sabah and Sarawak have more than 50 members of parliament, which means that the process of decision-making is still in the hands of peninsula parties.”
Elaborating, Chin said ruling parties based in peninsula were not authorised to discuss autonomy issues with Parti Warisan in the State as any decision must be approved by West Malaysian leaders.
On another note, he urged LDP Youth and Women Movements to be proactive in recruiting more young members into the party.
Chin said it was imperative that the younger generation understood the changing political landscape of the country and who to vote for in the next general election.
He also hoped to see young people stepping forward to voice out their rights, like the party’s Youth leader, Sim Fui.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
