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Mahathir refutes claim Pakatan Harapan gives out money to woo voters

This article is more than 12 months old

Malaysian PM denies ruling coalition PH is giving money to woo voters in Cameron Highlands by-election

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has denied that Pakatan Harapan gives out money to woo voters in the Cameron Highlands by-election.

"Pakatan Harapan (PH) never uses money to give to anyone.

"If the money is given by the government, the government can give. That one, everyone can get. That is all," the Pakatan chairman told the media at the launch of ACGAS liquid petroleum gas composite product yesterday.

It was reported that the Jelai Pakatan operations centre assistant chief Arvind Bharet said that the money was reimbursement to volunteers for petrol, who went to support PH candidate M Manogaran during nomination day on Saturday.

"They rode their motorcycles to Tanah Rata from their homes, some from the interior.

"The reimbursement will be declared as part of expenses for the by-election. Everything was done according to the law," said Dr Mahathir.

Mr Manogaran said he had no knowledge of the incident.

"I was not there and just came to know about it. We will investigate and find out what actually happened," he said.

MAKE POLICE REPORT

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim urged the public to lodge police reports against any wrongdoing in the campaign period for the Cameron Highlands by-election.

"If there is any wrongdoing, please lodge a police report. There will always be elements - both internal and external - that will pervert our fight for democracy. We have to work together to overcome these," he said in a tweet yesterday.

Mr Anwar was echoing a tweet made by Election Commission chairman Azhar Azizan Harun on Sunday, who said that anyone who has direct evidence of wrongdoings in the campaigning period should lodge a report to the authorities.

He said: "Nobody should lodge a report if he or she does not have a first-hand factual information on any incident.

"If anyone with a second-hand story lodges a report, his or her statement to the authorities would be merely hearsay," he told The Star.

Mr Anwar's statement came after pictures of a woman wearing a red Pakatan Harapan T-shirt handing out money to supporters went viral on social media.

MCA president Dr Wee Ka Siong has accused Pakatan of double standards, given its strong stance against money politics.

Umno Youth Chief Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said that handing out political bribery disguised as allowances was an "outdated political tactic".

The Cameron Highlands by-election on Jan 26 will see a four-cornered fight between Pakatan's M. Manogaran, Barisan National's Ramli Mohd Nor, as well as independent candidates Sallehudin Ab Talib and Wong Seng Yee. - THE STAR

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