THE Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy-led United For Rights Of Malaysians Party (Urimai) has reiterated that it has not gone around asking the Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) electorate to boycott the upcoming state by-election but only not to vote for the Pakatan Harapan (PH)/DAP candidate.

Further distancing itself from detractors who intended to tarnish Urimai’s reputation, party secretary Satees Muniandy said KKB folks are free to vote for the opposition or independent candidate.

“As an independent political party not aligned to the PH-Barisan Nasional (BN)or the Perukatan Nasional (PN) opposition coalition, Urimai is basically asking KKB voters, especially the Indians, not to vote the PH/DAP candidate,” the former DAP Bagan Dalam state assemblyman pointed out in a statement.

“The issue of boycotting the by-election is continuously being played up by some DAP leaders to indirectly instilling wrong idea into the minds of people. Instead, we urge Indians in KKB to come out in full force to teach the PH/DAP a lesson in this by-election.”

Added Satees: “Urimai is urging KKB voters to turn up in full force to support candidates who are against the PH/DAP. Moreover, the boycott of the by-election might turn out to be advantageous to the PH/DAP candidate as noted by some political analysts.”

For the record, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook had on last night (April 24) unveiled Pang Sock Tao who is the 31-year-old press secretary to Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming as the party’s candidate to defend the seat vacated by its three-term incumbent Lee Kee Hiong who succumbed to ovarian cancer on March 21.

Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is poised to announce a Bersatu candidate later today (April 25) although Gerakan is equally keen to contest in the by-election.

At a glimpse, KKB is a mixed constituency with Malay voters accounting for 46% of the electorate, Chinese (30%), Indian (18%) and others (6%).

Battle of Waterloo

Meanwhile, Ramasamy who is Urimai;s interim council chairman ‘challenged’ PN to nominate an Indian candidate in the KKB by-election for such strategy can turn the “KKB polls to be Battle of Waterloo for Madani government”.

“If only PN can nominate an Indian candidate in the KKB by-election, there is possibility that the majority of the Indian voters will swing towards the opposition coalition,” envisages the former Penang chief minister II and once DAP stalwart.

“It is not late to nominate an Indian candidate whether from the ranks of Malaysian Indian Political Party (MIPP) or from other fraternal organisations.”

Added the former three-term Perai MP: “With the majority of the Malays with the PN, a swing of Indian voters will decide the outcome of the KKB by-election this May 11. In other words, Indians will be kingmakers in KKB.” - April 25, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/urimai-distances-itself-from-kkb-by-election-boycott-call-party-only-wants-folks-not-to-vote-for-ph-dap/