SABAK BERNAM, June 16 — Umno lawmaker Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi alleged today that the Pakatan Harapan alliance was pitting Malays and Chinese against each other to create racial tension that would somehow lead to their electoral victory in Saturday’s twin polls.

The Sri Gading MP cited as example the racial billboards that had been put up by the federal opposition pact in Sekinchan last week in the run-up to the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election. The controversial billboard has since been removed by the local authorities.

“They’ve run out of models to win. They are playing with racial sentiments to provoke anger. We are a multiracial nation and we need to tolerate one another. What is important is for each race to live together in peace,” Abdul Aziz told reporters after attending a function in Sungai Besar.

The Umno supreme council member alleged further that the Parti Amanah Negara-DAP-PKR pact was backed by Jews and urged Malaysians to reject the federal opposition to maintain peace within the country.

“We know that there are many Jewish elements aiding them in many ways and we don’t want any external involvement in the management of this nation,” Abdul Aziz said, without stating the basis for his allegation.

“We want this nation to be managed without external involvement. In many other countries, external involvement causes chaos, which leads to war. Here we want peace.”

The transport deputy minister added that Amanah — which is representing the Pakatan Harapan bloc in the by-elections — is being used as a DAP pawn, again without substantiating his assertion.

Some Umno politicians have previously claimed the DAP to have received Jewish funds in return for political favours should they win federal power in the next general elections. However, none have been able to substantiate their claims.

Malaysia has a 60 per cent Malay Muslim population and has been highly sympathetic towards stateless Palestinians in the decades-old Middle East conflict against Israel’s Zionist regime.