KUCHING, Nov 6 — This upcoming 15th general election (GE15) presents an opportunity for the country to reset its direction towards a more inclusive society, said Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen.

“Today, we are here to elect a federal government and this general election is a time for Malaysia to reset and for us to rebuild the country,” said Chong during DAP Sarawak’s first political talk for the general election at Premier 101 commercial centre here last night.

Chong, who is defending his Stampin seat in this election, claimed that the incumbent federal government had failed to show leadership in charting the growth of the country amid a globally challenging economic environment, with inflation hitting record highs.

Another failure of the incumbent government, he claimed, was the breach of banking system security with increasing number of depositors losing their hard-earned money to scammers.

Besides, the state DAP chairman explained there were now mainly three political forces in the country being led by Pakatan Harapan (PH), Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN).

Chong said voters heading into the parliamentary election would have to choose between three potential prime ministerial candidates from the different political coalitions, namely Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from PH, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from PN and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi from BN.

In view of this, he opined that voters should give Anwar, a reformist, a chance to lead the country.

“Maybe Anwar had made some mistakes during his times in BN about 20 years ago but he has fought for a multi-racial and inclusive Malaysia since then. He went from being the deputy prime minister to being jailed but he continues his struggles,” said Chong.

Despite PH only managed to govern the country for a short 22-month before the ‘Sheraton Move’ crisis, Chong said the reform journey has already begun and country must move forward for a better future governed by prudent financial practices.

He said PH, when in power, had practiced open tender system for projects instead of direct negotiations, and this had managed to save the country a substantial amount of public funds.

“I hope voters will give us, PH, a chance again to lead the country as we march forward in this reform journey. Please concentrate your votes for PH and not other Opposition parties.”

Bandar Kuching incumbent Dr Kelvin Yii, who is also defending his seat, urged people from all walks of life to exercise their duty to vote during GE15 on Nov 19.

“No matter whether you are young or old, we must come out to vote because this election is crucial for a federal government to be elected that administers the country with good governance,” he said.

DAP Pending state assemblywomen Violet Yong, meanwhile, echoed Dr Yii’s view for voters to come forward to vote and place their trust in the journey again for a better Malaysia. — Borneo Post