Swim to the polling station on Nov 19, if you must, for Malaysia’s future, says DAP’s Kulasegaran

IPOH, Nov 7 — DAP vice-chairman M. Kulasegaran urged voters to “swim and go to vote”, should the country be hit by floods on polling day, which is set for November 19.

Kulasegaran said voters must teach Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders the lesson that nothing can stand in the way of their voting rights, which is needed to create a better, corruption-free future for the country.

“Even if it gets flooded on polling day, I urge voters to swim and go to vote. Don’t be scared; it’s for our future.

“We need to stop corruption in the government, which has been a cancer to the country. And the only way to stop it is by voting for a better government,” he said in his speech while campaigning with DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang at the Taman Mas GP Food Court here.

Kulasegaran also said caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s decision to hold an early election has backfired as most of his partners in Umno were dropped by BN from contesting.

This could mean that Ismail Sabri might lose the support to continue being prime minister, should BN win the election, he added.

“Ismail Sabri thought he could be the prime minister if BN wins the election. However, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has dropped Ismail Sabri’s partners who supported him in the party.

“So Ismail Sabri’s prime minister candidacy is uncertain now. We know after the election, it is likely Ahmad Zahid who will become the prime minister and we don’t want a corrupt leader to lead this country,” he said.

Kulasegaran also claimed that caretaker ministers were enjoying an allowance even after the dissolution of government.

“Those ministers are not working right now; instead, they are busy campaigning in their own constituency. They still have drivers, government vehicles and other benefits when actually they are not serving the people. How is this fair?

“We understand when the allowance for Opposition MPs was cut off following the dissolution of Parliament, but it should be the same for those in the caretaker government too,” he said.

Separately, Kulasegaran also slammed the Election Commission (EC) for not changing the ballot paper from black-and-white ink to a coloured print.

“The country is advanced. We don’t see black-and-white television or newspapers anymore. Why is there a need to use black-and-white ballot papers?

“We have the issue of many old voters, who have bad eyesight. They wouldn’t be able to differentiate the coalition or party’s logo on the ballot.

“Plus, the country’s literacy is not 100 per cent. Some voters may not be able to differentiate the parties without colour,” he said.