PERIKATAN Nasional has resorted to using race and religion to attack lawyer Syahredzan Johan, touted to be Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for the Bangi constituency in the coming general election.

At the launch of the PN campaign in Bangi last night, the coalition labelled Syahredzan – political secretary to Lim Kit Siang – as a “DAP stooge”, asking grassroots followers to spread the word.

“The one who will be representing Bangi, if that is the candidate, is a DAP stooge who throughout his life has been a strong supporter of Lim Kit Siang.

“We will have to remember that this stooge will be used to get our (Malay) votes,” PAS Bangi division chief Mohd Shafie Ngah said.

He said DAP was trying to con Malay voters by placing a Malay candidate in the mixed constituency.

“They have tried this in several places and won in all of them. They are trying to blind the eyes of Malay voters.

Shafie, a lawyer who stood against Ong Kian Ming in 2018, claimed that Syahredzan was trying to confuse Malay voters through his approach.

“For a month or two, he has been traveling to all suraus and mosques on this agenda.”

Meanwhile, Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan urged voters to reject DAP, even though the party was likely to field a Malay candidate.

“DAP and PH are trying to deceive the voters, especially in Bangi.

“DAP’s ideology is based on left-wing beliefs, not the framework for the establishment of the country. That is what they are bringing.

“Look at Syahredzan Johan, his family background must be pushed aside. We have to value where his ideology comes from,” he said.

Syahredzan is the son of prominent journalist Johan Jaafar.

However, Wan Saiful denied that the PN campaign was racial or religious in nature.

“This is not a racial issue, it is not an issue of narrowing down religion but an ideology,” he added.

Syahredzan came into the spotlight after Ong announced in May that he would not defend the seat he represented for two terms since 2013, previously known as Serdang.

Ong later announced Syahredzan as his representative to help the people in the parliamentary constituency.

Ong won Serdang with 79,238 (68%) votes. In 2018, he also won the renamed Bangi with 102,557 (65%) votes.

There will be more than 300,000 people registered to vote in the super-constituency for this election, including the addition of more than 100,000 voters aged 18 and above, who are automatically registered.

Malay voters make up around 51% of the population, while Chinese voters around 38%. – October 26, 2022.