Pn Taps Malay Ngos To Ferry Home Outstation Voters

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PELANGAI BY-ELECTION | Perikatan Nasional has roped in pro-Malay NGOs to help it ferry out-of-town Pelangai voters to increase its chances of winning the Pahang state seat come the polling day on Oct 7.
PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man yesterday engaged the leaders and members of NGOs Perkasa and Ummah, among others, in a dialogue session to discuss how they can play a role in the by-election.
Tuan Ibrahim, who is Pahang opposition chief, expressed disappointment over what he described as a "lack of political consciousness" among the Malays during the recent Pulai by-election in Johor, which he blamed for low voter turn-out and eventually led to Pakatan Harapan victory in retaining the seat.
"Thus, we have to mobilise efforts to call all (outstation voters) to return to vote this time. We can contact them, but we also want them to have the awareness to cast their ballots.
"(Tell them) that they do not ever think that their one vote is unimportant. Do not take this by-election lightly just because it cannot change the state or federal government," he said in his speech during the event held in Simpang Durian, a district in Negeri Sembilan that neighbours Pelangai.
Among those present include Ummah president Mohd Zai Mustafa and Perkasa president Syed Hassan Syed Ali.
Tuan Ibrahim also said the attitude of the non-Malays was very different when it came to exercising their right as voters.
The non-Malays including those staying abroad were willing to spend thousands of ringgit on flight tickets just to return to Malaysia to vote, he said, because they understand the value of their ballot paper.
"That is why, my fellow friends from NGOs, we are hoping that you will play your role in identifying (Pelangai out-of-town voters) and getting them to return to vote.
"I still remember the advice of the late Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz (Nik Mat), who said that voters must come back to vote even if they have to crawl.
"Because our votes are not for the next minutes or five days, but it will have effects for the next five years and anything can happen within this period of time," he told the audience.
Important mission
Earlier, Zai in his welcoming speech called on all the NGOs present to mobilise their machinery to bring home the over 2,000 Pelangai outstation voters, especially the younger generation.
It is an important mission for them to help PN to win the by-election, he said.
"It is also important for us to increase the awareness of NGOs inside and outside Pahang, and the people of Pelangai who live outside the constituency.
"We have to bring them back. Do all we can to bring them back to Pelangai.
"If we have to ferry them, we ferry them. If we have to extend assistance to them, we help them (to return)," he said.
‘Force them to return’
Syed Hassan, meanwhile, urged the NGOs' members who live in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to make sure Pelangai voters in their area cast their ballots this Saturday.
"'Paksa (force) them to return to vote. By voting, they can tell (the government) to stop lying to them, and that they reject Pakatan Harapan or BN because they have been lying to us," he said.
According to the latest electoral rolls, the Pelangai state constituency in Bentong, Pahang, has a total of 16,456 registered voters including 16,417 ordinary voters, 36 police officers, and three overseas voters.
It is understood that some 2,000 of the ordinary voters are residing out of town. - Mkini

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