IPOH, March 5 — The 14th General Election (GE14) will be free from defamation and lies if it falls during the fasting month of Ramadan, according to Wanita Gerakan chief Datuk Tan Lian Hoe.
She said the party would not have any issue with that because having the GE14 during the holy month would not disrupt the electoral process, based on the by-elections held in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar before this.
“I think it will be more peaceful because election is the time for us to elect leaders of calibre and high-integrity, and not to throw insults to a (political) party or candidate during the campaign,” she told a press conference after attending the Chinese New Year celebration at the Senior Citizens Activity Centre of the Urban Transformation Centre here today.
Tan also dismissed the notion of holding GE14 during Ramadan would give advantage to Barisan Nasional.
“Most importantly, the people just want a candidate that would be able to help them and not the one who is only good at giving promises but does not walk the talk,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tan hoped that the issue involving Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz which stirred anger among the Chinese community, could be resolved internally by Umno as it involved racial sensitivity.
Recently, Mohamed Nazri’s appearance in black dress at the 2018 Chinese New Year celebration at the Amanjaya Mall in Kedah had triggered controversy as he was alleged to have deliberately violated the taboo in Chinese culture.
The minister also issued a statement, which was said to have offended the Chinese community in the country, when commenting on Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok after a blogger claimed that the tycoon had been financing various political parties to overthrow the government. — Bernama
