Umno’s Nur Jazlan downplays halal cert issue in Mahkota, says Chinese voters smarter than that and ultimately not affected by it

JOHOR BARU, Sept 24 — Johor Umno leader Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed has downplayed Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s recent outburst directed at DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok over the halal certification issue, ahead of the Mahkota by-election.

He believes that it is not a new issue and was brought up by certain parties in an effort to manipulate the Chinese voters in the coming Mahkota by-election.

“So, don't be surprised if some parties try to politicise the halal certificate issue because they want to win the Malay votes, while trying to tease the sensitivities of other races.

“It is said that they want to make Chinese voters angry and finally reject BN. But what I know is that Chinese voters are smarter than that.

“If this halal certificate issue is repeated many times, the people are bound to be fed up with such outdated tactics. They know, this is all a political game to split votes,” he said in a statement posted on his official Facebook account today.

Nur Jazlan, who is an Umno Supreme Council member and the party’s Pulai division chief, said that DAP’s machinery is more than capable in managing such issues as they had done in the past campaigns when they were in the Opposition.

“After all, this halal certificate issue does not directly affect the Chinese community, especially the traders or the owners of the restaurants and eateries they operate.

“In the end, halal certification is a customer's choice as only a majority of Muslims care about the status of non-Muslim shops,” he said.

Nur Jazlan explained that Chinese voters are not indifferent to politics, but they are more interested in how to evaluate the benefits that they gain before giving support and voting.

He said the Chinese voters are practical in their choices as they place importance on a stable economy.

“I have a lot of experience with the sentiments of Chinese voters in the Pulai parliament. I see that they are not bound by the loyalty of any political party or even to DAP.

“In the ever-changing political situation, Chinese voters can change course at any time to any party that can promise profit to themselves and their people from an economic point of view,” he said, adding that it can be from any political party and not necessarily DAP.

Nur Jazlan, who is also the Dewan Negara Deputy Speaker, explained that such a scenario had happened in the previous general election where MCA was able to secure 50 per cent of the Chinese votes in the Tanjung Piai parliament.

He said this was from the Chinese voters who were not satisfied with their economic situation after the 14th general election on 2018 when the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition first took power.

“For the Mahkota by-election, the Chinese voters will certainly value whether the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate’s victory can give them better access to economic opportunities and better development planning.

“So, will Chinese voters come out en masse in Mahkota? It depends on the extent to which they see the long-term benefits offered by the DAP-backed BN candidate,” he said, adding that the Mahkota by-election will also be a big test for Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong, who was once a Kluang MP.