Warring coalitions can't bring stability to Malacca - Anwar

MALACCA POLLS | Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim trained his guns against rival coalitions BN and PN, stating that the two cannot be expected to bring about political stability in Malacca when they are at war with each other.

Speaking at a virtual ceramah for the Malacca polls last night, Anwar said voters should consider the scenario if either BN or PN wins.

"They are now at war. There is a fierce war between PN and BN. They speak of unity but they are fighting on the ground," he said.

BN and PN are part of the federal government but are contesting against each other in all 28 of the Malacca State Legislative Assembly seats.

"In the morning, a Bersatu deputy minister will campaign. In the evening comes an Umno minister to the campaign. It's in the same constituency but from different parties.

"In Malacca, a key issue is political stability. We need to choose a leadership that has clear policies and can ensure stability. God willing, Harapan can form a stable government," he said.

Anwar also urged voters to punish those who had brought down the Pakatan Harapan state government, which was elected in the 2018 general election but collapsed following defections.

Following the Harapan state government's collapse in March 2020, it was replaced by an Umno-Bersatu state government, which also collapsed in October 2021 due to another round of defections.

Two from the second round of the defections that brought down the Umno-Bersatu government - Idris Haron and Nor Azman Hassan - have been fielded in the Asahan and Pantai Kundor seats, respectively, as Harapan candidates.

Anwar maintained that Idris and Nor Azman are not traitors as they had tried to help restore the Harapan government which was legitimately elected in 2018.

The PKR president also gave his assurance that Harapan has screened its candidates to avoid another bitter experience.

"By right, Harapan, replaced (the Bersatu-Umno government) but such is the drama in Malaysia, including in Malacca.

"When they get the majority (PN and BN) at the federal level, they form the government. But when we get the majority (in Malacca), the state assembly is dissolved," he said.

Incumbent chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali, in a bid to prevent Harapan from returning to power after four assemblypersons withdrew support for him, sought a dissolution of the state assembly, which then opened the path for fresh polls.

While BN and PN have touted their Malay Muslim credentials, Anwar stuck with Harapan's long-held message of unity in diversity, drawing on the history of Malacca's cosmopolitan nature when it was a regional trading hub during the Malacca sultanate.

"Malacca was a major cosmopolitan centre in the region where traders from China, India, Arabia and across the globe came.

"At the palace, advisers from various races were made advisers... In the work of Hikayat Hang Tuah, we read that in order to become a great Malay general, one must learn various languages - Malay, Chinese, ethnic Indian, Siamese. This was the Malay culture and civilization.

"It is not one of archaic and narrow mentality and an attempt to impose the same on the people," he said.

The 12-day campaign period for the Malacca polls will conclude on Friday.

A substantial part of the campaign has been done online, amidst the ban on physical campaigning because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaccans will go to the polls this Saturday.