SABAK BERNAM, June 8 — Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) is approaching Malay voters in Sungai Besar through the stomach — by giving them free halal dumplings or “bak chang”.
In a walkabout yesterday morning in Sungai Besar town, party chief Mohamed Sabu and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang gave away the halal dumplings as part of efforts to break the “food barrier” between the Malays and Chinese there.
Also present was Amanah candidate Azhar Shukor.
Mohamad Sabu, or commonly known as Mat Sabu, said the giveaway reflected the harmonious diversity of Malaysia and its cuisine.
“Our campaign for the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat has been well-received until now, far greater than what we expected,” he said.
“Also, the support for Amanah by the other two members, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), in this campaign is very encouraging.”
Mat Sabu, however, admitted campaigning had its challenges as some voters were still unable to differentiate between PAS and Amanah.
He said it was not an easy task to explain the differences but the issue was crucial as voters must be aware Amanah is part of the opposition pact.
Lim said Amanah could win with the combined votes of supporters of the three parties in Pakatan Harapan.
“Bear in mind, in the 2013 general election, PAS obtained 18,200 votes from all supporters of the three parties in Pakatan Rakyat,” he said.
“This time, if we can meet the conditions of high non-Malay voters turnout and tap into the desire of supporters within both BN and PAS to see more changes, Azhar may have a very good chance of winning.”
Azhar said many Malay voters had asked whether Amanah is a rebranded version of PAS during visits in the various kampung.
After his explanation, he said they now understood and pledged support for the party.
