adminAYER KEROH: Chinese voters’ acceptance of Perikatan Nasional (PN) is still mixed despite signs of increasing support throughout the Melaka State Election (PRN) campaign period.
PN candidate for the Ayer Keroh State Legislative Assembly (DUN), Datuk Michael Gan Pen Lam said some Chinese voters were becoming more open to the coalition, but there were still those who had a negative perception of PAS.
According to him, the perception that PAS is an extremist party still influences some voters’ acceptance of PN.
Michael Gan said there were still some Chinese voters who were influenced by the allegations against PAS even though PN was fielding candidates from various racial backgrounds.
“I think some of the support and acceptance from the Chinese is okay, while others are still affected by incitement from certain quarters.
“For example, the incitement of Pas is extreme. For me, if Pas is extreme, I will not be a candidate in this state assembly election, they will field a Malay candidate,” he said.
He said this when met by Astro AWANI at a friendly bonding session with the community at Taman Ayer Keroh Heights, here.
Michael Gan, representing Gerakan, said his nomination proved that PN adopted an inclusive approach among its component parties.
According to him, the spirit of cooperation could also be seen when other component parties gave him the go-ahead to contest in Ayer Keroh.
Meanwhile, he said the acceptance of voters of various races towards the cooperation between PN and Barisan Nasional (BN) was seen to be improving compared to the last election.
He said the change could be seen when voters were more likely to interact and ask questions when he was campaigning.
“It’s not like before, he used to just touch and go . But now he’s by his side, he asks, he’s interested in getting to know the candidate.
“So for me this is a positive step and we hope this will be translated into votes,” he said.
Commenting on local issues, Michael Gan said infrastructure problems, cleanliness and flooding were among the main complaints received throughout the campaign.
However, he refused to make any specific promises to resolve all problems within the first 100 days if given a mandate.
He said the people’s confidence in election promises was waning.
“I see that the people don’t seem to be convinced by what the other candidates are promising,” he said.
Instead, he wants to focus on action and practical solutions to the problems of the population. According to him, performance and results are more important than mere promises.
-Agency
