TANJUNG Piai voters should not vote for those who espouse narrow racial politics, said Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad in a letter to voters in the Johor parliamentary seat today.

With two days left to voting in the by-election, the prime minister urged voters to remember how the country had progressed due to the tolerance and cooperation between people of different races.

“This spirit made us well-known in the world. And this is the spirit that Pakatan Harapan hopes to restore.

“But PH cannot succeed if Malaysians are influenced by extreme politics that ignore racial unity.”

Dr Mahathir, made no mention of Barisan Nasional and PAS, who have been using racial issues to attack PH.

But he warned of “groups who do not care if their actions would cause racial clashes as they hope that their misdeeds would be forgotten when there is chaos”.

He said these groups would tell Malays that PH had pawned their privileges to non-Malays.

“And when they meet non-Malays, they tell them that non-Malay leaders have failed to protect their interests.

“As a result of that, Malays feel their future is in jeopardy while the non-Malays are also unhappy with their leaders.

“These two things cannot occur at the same time under the same government. If the Malays are unhappy with the government for failing them, the non-Malays should be happy.

“And if the non-Malays are unhappy that their interests are not been protected, the Malays should be pleased.”

Dr Mahathir said no group of people in the country was completely happy,  because the government made decisions by consensus.

“This means that everybody’s interest is being assessed before a decision is reached. When we do things this way, it means that all groups will not be fully satisfied.”

In the three-page letter, Dr Mahathir admitted the PH government still had problems despite 18th months in power.

“This has been a difficult time, trying to repair the damage left behind.

“While it’s true that we cannot continue blaming the previous government. At the same time, Malaysians who follow the court cases (involving SRC International and 1MDB) should also realise the destruction caused by corruption and abuse of power that almost crushed our country.”

He said PH had to ensure such acts of corruption can never be repeated and that leaders do not have a chance to enrich themselves without fear of punishment.

He hoped that voters in Tg Piai will vote for PH candidate Karmaine Sardini to continue development in the constituency.

“In other words, Karmaine is the best candidate to ensure continuity for Tanjung Piai,” said Dr Mahathir.

PH’s Karmaine from Bersatu is in a six-way fight with candidates from MCA-BN, Gerakan, Berjasa, and two independents. – November 13, 2019.