| KUALA KUBU BHARU: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday he expected negative campaigning from Pakatan Rakyat (PR), calling its election machinery “slander factories” that would go into overdrive as the April 25 polling day for the Hulu Selangor by-election draws near.
He brushed aside allegations against Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate P Kamalanathan, including the candidate’s hand-kissing act and his allegedly “fake” degree.
“I know in the last phase of elections, the spin or rumour machine and the slander factories of the other side will be operating for 24 hours. I expect they’ll distribute pamphlets and use the names of Umno and BN leaders, who allegedly did this and that,” Muhyiddin said when asked at a press conference after opening Kuala Kubu Bharu’s new fire and rescue station here.
In recent days, Kamalanathan has been criticised for kissing Muhyiddin’s hand on nomination day, April 17, which has been portrayed by certain quarters as “evidence” that MIC was bowing down to Umno.
Kamalanathan has since denied the act but said that even if he had indeed kissed the BN deputy chairman’s hand, it was merely a cultural gesture. Muhyiddin yesterday said he had not asked Kamalanathan to kiss his hand but the candidate’s act showed that the he was “humble, respectful and understood cultural practices”.
“The strength of our candidate has been twisted to show that he is low in morality,” said Muhyiddin.
“I don’t see it as humiliating. It is not like he (Kamalanathan) had to kneel or anything,” he added.
Kamalanathan, a public relations manager, had also been plagued by allegations that he had “faked” his degree in mass communications from Edith Cowen University in Australia, but he has since clarified that he did his degree locally via the university’s external programme.
“It can’t be fake. We can’t be asking Kamalanathan to show his degree. They have no other issues (to raise in the by-election),” said Muhyiddin.
He said PKR was now “feeling the pressure” in the by-election, claiming that PR ceramah sessions were poorly received and that PKR leaders could not agree amongst themselves.
Muhyiddin said PKR had been unable to deny the “big slap” faced by its candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. Muhyiddin did not specify what he meant, but Zaid had been criticised for drinking in his younger days.
Zaid has since admitted that he did but said he only drank in his youth and has since repented.
When mentioning that issue, Muhyiddin also denied that Umno and BN were behind the allegations, maintaining that the claims were reported by the media based on “information from sources”.
When asked, Muhyiddin also denied the allegation that MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha had threatened Chinese voters. Kong, who was present at the press conference with Muhyiddin, shook his head to deny the claims.
“No such thing. It is they (PR) who threaten. The Chinese voters are smart. Show me one person who said they were threatened,” Muhyiddin countered.
PKR has been reportedly making inroads in the Malay-majority Felda settlements, but Muhyiddin dismissed the party’s efforts, saying that the BN government had done its work and need not give promises.
Asked about BN’s chances in the by-election, Muhyiddin said there was “still a lot of work to be done” and that he did not want to be “too confident”.
“But in the last few days, the winds have been blowing (in our direction), giving an encouraging signal. But we don’t want to be too confident. We know we are facing quite a great challenge,” Muhyiddin said.
BN is seeking to regain the Hulu Selangor seat, which its former MP Datuk G Palanivel lost during the 2008 general election. Palanivel, who is MIC deputy president, was defeated by a mere 198 votes by PKR’s Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad.
Zainal Abidin’s death on March 25 had paved the way for the by-election in the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency, which has 64,500 registered voters
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