Rafizi tells his BN,PN critics to "Go back
to school & stop making fools of themselves"...
PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli today hit back at Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) members who criticised his company Invoke Solutions Sdn Bhd after he declared his assets as part of his party’s general election campaign pledge.
The Pandan parliamentary hopeful said that he was glad to be given the opportunity to expose the hypocrisy and ignorance of his critics who lacked the courage to declare their own assets.
“Next time, go to school and learn how to read financial statements before you make a fool of yourself,” he said during a press conference at PKR headquarters today.
He asserted that his company’s profits in 2018 were used to fund the campaigns of PKR candidates in the 14th general election (GE14) that Pakatan Harapan went on to win.
Among these candidates was Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon who defected to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), he noted when singling the former out as a particularly loud critic.
“If you don’t want to declare, just shut up,” he said, adding it was clear their criticism was meant to distract from the fact that his rivals were unwilling to declare their own wealth.
Rafizi further said he was trying to educate Malaysia’s youth that the best way to generate wealth was by building up a competitive company capable of attracting international investors, and not by embezzling public funds.
“Kids that want to be rich, they think they have to join Umno so that they get projects. I want to prove that you don’t have to do that,” he said.
Rafizi also denounced PN and its chairman, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, for claiming integrity and stability as part of the coalition’s platform, alleging the former prime minister reneged on various promises during his term, during which two major defence procurement scandals also erupted.
He accused Muhyiddin of failing to lead the country effectively during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, claiming this resulted in unnecessary deaths from the coronavirus and economic losses the movement control orders enforced to contain it.
“The miserable period will be remembered forever by the #BenderaPutih and #KitaJagaKita campaigns, in which the people were forced to help each other during a time of need to lighten the burden of the country’s poorest,” he said, urging voters to remember this at the ballot box.
Who will have the last laugh this November?...
The 15th general election war has finally started. Besides the Big Three (BN, PH and PN), we still have a dozen other parties and countless of independent candidates vying for the seats. Undeniably, this election war is going to be the most chaotic ever in the country’s history. How chaotic could that be? Perhaps the numbers can offer a clearer picture!
A total of 945 candidates have been nominated to vie for 222 parliamentary seats, a national record indeed. In Selangor alone, as many as 24 independent candidates are standing in the election. Multicornered fights are a norm for most battlefields. Three-cornered fights are nothing, as Batu sees a jaw-dropping ten-cornered fight! In the midst of all the chaos and commotion, several constituencies deserve a little more attention from us.
PH chairman cum PKR president Anwar Ibrahim is moving over to Tambun this time, taking on the incumbent, PN’s second in command Ahmad Faizal Azumu. It is hoped that with Anwar’s presence in Perak, the PH coalition can recapture the state. While Anwar definitely has an upper hand in Tambun, Faizal is not a weak candidate at all and the fight is expected to be very tough.
This time, incumbent health minister Khairy Jamaluddin is sent to Sungai Buloh which is by no means a “safe seat” as Umno’s second in command Mohamad Hasan has claimed, but rather a “black zone” in which BN has been defeated three times in a row. That said, Khairy may not necessarily lose, as he commands a sound public reputation, rare among Umno politicians.
Over to Langkawi, the 97-year-old incumbent Mahathir Mohamad is having a tough time in a five-cornered fight, his last anyway. The former PM’s credibility has suffered a steady decline ever since he left the top government post. His new party Pejuang has not lived up to expectation, and was wholly wiped out in the earlier Johor state election. Mahathir still boasts robust fighting spirit and will never surrender easily. But, will he still stand a chance with BN, PH and PN besieging him?
So far BN and PH remain the two most powerful contenders while PN only plays a third fiddle and is indeed trailing far behind. Up till the nomination day, Umno had an upper hand, but with party president Ahmad Zahid ruthlessly axing the Minister Cluster and caretaker PM Ismail’s confidants dropped from the candidates’ list, having to contest on PN ticket instead, BN is beginning to feel the pressure.
Some even believe that with Shahidan Kassim turning against his old boss, BN will likely lose Perlis as well. Who between BN and PH able to court the support of middle voters and first-timers will have its chance of capturing Putrajaya significantly boosted.
A Merdeka Center poll shows that 26% of voters are more inclined to go with PH, 24% with BN and only 13% with PN, while as many as 31% of respondents have yet to decide. As such, the 14-day campaign period should be very crucial. Political parties and their candidates must try to convince the voters with their manifestos and political vies.
One factor that must never be trifled with is the first-time voters. With the introduction of Undi18 and automatic voter registration, we suddenly have an influx of millions of new voters this time round. The voting inclinations of these new voters remain unknown, although we are sure they constitute a powerful force that will invariably tip the election balance.
Because of that, none of the parties can say for sure it will definitely win, before the votes are counted. It is widely believed that no single political camp can win enough seats to rule on its own and a joint government is therefore inevitable.
GE15 will not only decide who gets to helm the federal government, but will also be a matter of life or death for some parties, notably Bersatu. Bersatu is a very young party with frail grassroots. Although it did see its better days these past few years, this was nevertheless a product of destiny. The party started to crumble after Muhyiddin was forced out of office, putting Umno back at the center of power once again.
GE15 will be the last chance for Bersatu to bounce back. But if it gets beaten again, its future is doomed. Its PN partner Gerakan Rakyat is not any better. If this party fails to make a wave this time, it will only head further downhill.
The 15th general election is going to see the most “chaotic” battles and is a very important election in the country’s democratic history. We are now at a crucial crossroads. For the sake of ourselves, our children and the nation, we must exercise our rights as citizens to cast our votes wisely in order to put the country’s politics back to the right track. - MySinchew
cheers.
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