GE14 | Former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, entering the fourth day of campaigning for the 14th general election, has finally joined the Pakatan Harapan offensive against BN in Kedah.
Appearing in a ceramah at the Pendang Bersatu headquarters, Daim endorsed Harapan's candidate for the parliamentary seat of Pendang Wan Saiful Wan Jan and state seat candidates Mohd Firdaus Jaafar (Tokai) and Abdul Razak Khamis (Sungai Tiang).
"Don't make a mistake, come out in force to vote for Pakatan Harapan... Vote for the 'eyes' logo, don't vote for the balance, the balance is lopsided.
"Then on May 10, we will have a new government and a new country," he said.
It was the most overt campaigning by Daim yet.
Yesterday, he made a surprise appearance at a Harapan function in Port Klang, where he met with PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, but did not campaign.
Prior to the campaign period, Daim also attended a forum in Langkawi, where he criticised BN policy, but stopped short of calling for the ruling coalition's ouster.
He is a native of Kedah, like Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad
In the ceramah today, Daim highlighted the economic achievements under Mahathir’s rule, and contrasted it with the rising cost of living under caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
“GST is actually (short for) 'government sudah tipu' (government has cheated).
"(Former deputy finance minister) Ahmad Maslan used to say that the prices of goods will fall once GST is implanted. Did it fall?
“What has fallen is the price of rubber, the people’s income,” he said.
About sixty people attended the event, laughing and cheering at Daim’s jokes at the expense of Najib, his wife Rosmah Mansor, and the caretaker government.
Speaking to reporters later, Daim denied that he is endorsing Harapan, but said, "I am endorsing justice. I am fighting for justice for the people".
Asked why he is campaigning in Pendang of all places, he gestured at the three candidates present and said these are his friends.
Wan Saiful said he takes Daim’s presence as a personal endorsement from Daim.
“Well, of course, I need all the help I can get. I’m humble enough to admit that,” he said when asked if he needed Daim’s endorsement.
'Umno an illegal society'
To a question whether he is worried that Umno would sack him for his campaigning, Daim claimed that Umno is an illegal party.
“It is an illegal society. I cannot be a member of an illegal society. Under the law, it is an offence to be a member of an illegal society,” he said.
For the record, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had dismissed a challenge on Umno’s legality filed by a group of 16 Umno members, but lawyer Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla said an appeal will be filed.
Pendang is a rural constituency in Kedah, just south of the state capital Alor Setar. Like many rural areas of Kedah, its main industries are paddy and rubber production.
Eighty-nine percent of voters here are Malays, and a significant portion of the minorities are Siamese.
The incumbent Othman Abdul previously won the seat by a 2,638-vote majority during the 13th general election and is seeking reelection.
Apart from Wan Saiful, PAS’ Awang Hashim and independent candidate Abdul Malik Manaf are challenging Othman at the polls.
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