PKR’s decision to name Najwan Halimi as Kota Anggerik candidate in the state polls despite his use of a racial slur has not gone down well on social media.

Twitter user @deve_85 expressed his disappointment in PKR.

“Despite getting caught, Najwan is contesting,” he said in a tweet.

The user also said he was left baffled by PKR’s lack of disciplinary action against Najwan.

“No disciplinary action was taken, not even official statements from PKR.

Pakatan Harapan (PH)-Barisan Nasional (BN), you don’t have my vote for the coming state elections,” he said in the same tweet, tagging PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, deputy president Rafizi Ramli and a host of party leaders.

Najwan had made a racist remark in a WhatsApp group against Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and Sivaranjani Manickam, PSM’s candidate for Meru.

Referring to a news report on Sivaranjani being fielded for the Meru seat, Najwan had messaged a PKR group, calling PSM an “India estet” party.

The screenshot of Najwan’s message in the group was shared on Twitter by PSM secretary-general Sivarajan Arumugam.

Najwan, who is Shah Alam PKR deputy chief, was quick to apologise after the message went viral, saying he does not harbour racial biases.

Last night, while Anwar was naming the candidates, Shanker Sundaram, a voter in Kota Anggerik and lawyer by profession, interrupted the former and expressed his disappointment in Najwan’s candidacy.

Responding to the protests, Anwar said he has the final say on the candidate list, adding that people do make mistakes.

Another user @NebAdrenaline said voters do not want Najwan as a candidate.

“Please listen. If PH fails (to win) don’t blame others. It’s your own mistake,” the user tweeted.

User @shaman_n boldly said he would not vote for Najwan in Kota Anggerik.

“Congratulations, racist, you’ve lost my vote for Kota Anggerik,” he said.

User @iamjonzs meanwhile said if PH can work with BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is currently undergoing trial for corruption charges, then the same can be done in Najwan’s case.

“If they can accept Zahid as deputy prime minister, then they would not have issues accepting a racist Najwan,” he quipped.

Another user @ashguevara23 chided Najwan, asking if he was fine accepting “estate” votes.

“Kota Anggerik voters. All the best. During election, estate votes is okay (for Najwan).”

He also questioned PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil, who is also communication and digital minister, if the race, religion and royalty (3R) issue is only applicable to others and not for those in PKR.

“The 3R remarks (are) not applicable to those in PKR, right?” he asked.

Youth-based party Muda, which named a candidate in Kota Anggerik, took a swipe at PKR for making Najwan a candidate. 

Danial Abdul Majeed, Muda’s information chief for Penang, said PKR and its members are being ignorant over Najwan’s racist slur.

“3R issue, no disciplinary action, no official statement but still a candidate.

“And there are a bunch of his supporters justifying his candidacy by saying he has done a lot for Shah Alam,” he said.

Muda named Azad Akbar Khan, a lawyer, as its Kota Anggerik candidate. 

A user @housefly111 quoted a tweet by Azad, saying he is a much better candidate than Najwan.

“Definitely a better candidate than Najwan. Since PKR does not care about the feelings (of) Indian voters at all it seems,” the user said. – July 23, 2023.