DESPITE being the new party on the block, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) is confident it can help Pakatan Harapan (PH) secure all the parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur.
 
In the last general election, now defunct opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat won nine of the 11 parliamentary seats in the capital. It lost Titiwangsa and Setiawangsa marginally to Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates.

Deputy finance minister Johari Abdul Ghani (BN) beat PAS’ Ahmad Zamri Asa’ad Khuzami by 866 votes in Titiwangsa in GE13 while Ahmad Fauzi Zahari beat PKR’s Ibrahim Yaacob by 1,390 votes in Setiawangsa.
 
Both seats are Malay-majority seats with Malays making up 68% of the constituents in Titiwangsa and 56% in Setiawangsa during GE13. Setiawangsa also has a large block of postal votes from Mindef and Pulapol.
 
Federal Territory Bersatu leader Captain (Rtd) Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya said he was confident the two seats would fall to PH.
 
“The opposition won big in several constituencies such as Seputeh, Batu, Gombak, Bandar Tun Razak and Segambut in the last GE. We want to rub salt into BN’s wounds by taking over Setiawangsa and Titiwangsa,” he said in a speech during the PH Federal Territory Convention held in Cheras this morning.
 
He added that many Umno members in these areas had already changed camps, adding to Bersatu’s confidence.
 
Meanwhile, Federal Territory Amanah chairman Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli criticised Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Noh Omar’s decision to scrap approvals for local council projects in non-BN parliamentary constituencies due to insufficient funds.
 
“The minister says the projects are scrapped because there is a lack of funds but the last Budget showed good numbers with the gross domestic product reaching a trillion ringgit,” said Hatta.
 
He said the cancellation of council projects smacked of double standards.
 
“He confirmed what we already know and it makes the voters’ job easier.” 
 
Hatta advised the component parties of PH to avoid racial and religion-based politics during the upcoming election.
 
“It is easy to play up these elements but it would be immoral to do so.” 
 
PH chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, DAP vice chairperson Teresa Kok, and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu were also present at the convention.
 
About 260 members of parties in PH attended the convention to launch the coalition’s election machinery. – April 23, 2017.