By Sulyn Chong
SHAH ALAM, Nov 6 — Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) supports Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as its prime ministerial candidate, as he is able to form the best team to bring change to the country, said Rafizi Ramli.
The Pandan candidate for the ongoing 15th general election (GE15) said it was due to this that Harapan supports Anwar, and not because he has power in the party or coalition.
“We support Anwar not because he holds the power (in the coalition). Instead, we believe he is the best person to bring together a great team to change Malaysia for the better,” he said during Harapan's Ceramah Mega ‘Ayuh Malaysia Kita Boleh’ in Pandan last night, which was broadcasted live on social media.
Rafizi said the coalition has many capable and dynamic leaders who are also free from corruption, are qualified, experts in their own fields of discipline, and are not afraid to voice out on matters even though they differ in views with each other and the top leadership, at times.
The Parti Keadilan Rakyat election director added there may be ‘a big shock’ coming from Negeri Sembilan this coming 15th general election.
This, Rafizi said, is a result of a thorough and comprehensive analysis by trained scientists on big data gathered using innovative technology, about Malaysians and their voting sentiments.
“The data we collected told us there will be a big surprise coming from Negeri Sembilan. It seems like the people there are seeking change, and we too hope there will be change,” he said.
Rafizi is confident that he is not worried about Selangor because he believes that Harapan can safely win in the state with 19 to 20 seats.
Similarly, with Kuala Lumpur he hopes the coalition can retain all 11 seats in the Federal Territory, as well as retain Penang, which is a Harapan stronghold.
Rafizi also expects Harapan will garner more seats in Perak, especially with key coalition leaders contesting there.
Yet he will be spending more time with Johor and Melaka, as he believes those two states require more convincing and encouragement.
“Johor and Melaka definitely need more push. So, I will be spending more time down south to speak to the voters there. Hopefully, we can achieve 13 to 15 seats in Johor and more in Melaka than we did in the last election,” Rafizi said.
Rafizi is contesting in the Pandan parliamentary seat, facing off against Datuk Leong Lok Wee from Barisan Nasional, Muhammad Farique Zubir Albakri from Perikatan Nasional, Nadia Hanafiah from Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, and Ong Tee Keat from Parti Warisan.
The Election Commission (EC) has set GE15’s polling day on November 19, with the nomination day yesterday. Candidates will carry out campaigning over a 14-day period until November 18, with early voting to be held on November 15.
