KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Supreme Council member Dr Afif Bahardin has told Malaysians to vote for Perikatan Nasional (PN) if they want “the good guys” in government.
Speaking at a Bersatu Youth’s dialogue session last night, the Selangor PN secretary said the coalition’s pitch to voters was simple — clean leaders with integrity and moral standards.
“If you want the good guys, choose us. If you want the bad guys, choose them,” he told the audience, referring to the government coalition.
Dr Afif was responding to a question from the audience on PN’s strategy to win over Malaysians during the session.
He also pointed to the 15th general election as proof that integrity had also swayed voters allegedly into voting PN.
“Barisan Nasional (BN) was the biggest loser in 2022. Their leader, [Datuk Seri Ahmad] Zahid Hamidi, was seen as corrupt. Malays, Chinese, Indians — all rejected him,” he said, referring to the BN chairman.
According to him, non-Malays mostly backed Pakatan Harapan (PH) because it was perceived as clean, while most Malays selected PN for the same reason, citing Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Covid-19 crisis management and reputation for fighting corruption.
“But if you ask me today, between PN and PH, who is seen as having integrity?” he asked, prompting the audience to respond with “Perikatan.”
The Taman Medan assemblyman, who was formerly in PKR, claimed Malaysian politics was still largely shaped along racial lines.
“Look at the demographics. Where there’s a Malay majority, there’s a Malay candidate. Chinese majority, a Chinese candidate. It’s not just political parties, it’s also the voters,” he said.
He said most major parties still operate along racial lines, citing DAP as an example.
“As much as they want to portray themselves as multiracial, they are still a Chinese-based party. Until they have the confidence to appoint a Malay chief minister in Penang, they remain a race-based party,” he said.
