By Norrasyidah Arshad
GOMBAK, July 10 — Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari has called on voters in the Gombak state constituency to reject politicians who are only busy politicking and ignoring the development of the state.
Without mentioning names, the Selangor Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) chairman said the administration that has led the state for the past 15 years should be retained to continue restoring the country’s post-Covid-19 economy.
“They are now trying very hard to seize and take over Selangor. Look at what their leader in Selangor says — ‘We win today, tomorrow the prime minister will step down’. This (the state election) has nothing to do with parliament.
“Don’t you (they) have anything better to do? Changing prime ministers, changing governments every three to four months … it’s chaotic [and causes] uncertainty. Our country would only be busy changing prime ministers.
“The economy is uncertain. But they couldn’t care less because they are only focusing on winning Selangor to use the state reserves for political programmes. They are not interested in progress other than politics. That’s why Selangor must be defended,” said Amirudin at the launch of the election machinery of the Sungai Tua state seat for the upcoming state polls at Padang Awam Batu Caves, here last night.
Last month, Selangor Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should resign if Selangor were to be defeated in the state elections on August 12.
Support justice and unity
Meanwhile, Amirudin also urged the constituents to reject the extreme sentiments highlighted by PN, which could disrupt the stability of the nation and bring disunity at a time when the country is recovering from the pandemic.
As a multiracial, multireligious and multiethnic country, Amirudin said the administration must be fair to all, including the people of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Our opponents today use extremist tactics and political methods. Yes, we defend the Malays and uphold Islam, but we must also consider others because Islam supports justice.
“The Malays preserve good manners and behaviour. Not arrogance, conceit or oppression against others. If we let extremism thrive and grow, there would be disunity that could not be restored,” he said.
Stability has benefitted Selangor’s growth
Amirudin, who is also the incumbent Sungai Tua state assemblyman, expressed his confidence that the policies brought forward by Harapan and Barisan Nasional (BN) are sustainable as they include everyone’s interest.
He also reiterated that the political stability in the Harapan-held Selangor had supported the state’s economic growth, making it the largest contributor to the national gross domestic product (GDP) last year.
The Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) said that after receiving the people’s continued mandate in the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018, his administration has been consistent in prioritising the state’s development and welfare of the people throughout its five-year term.
“Selangor is the largest contributor to the country’s economy. Why is that so? Because we didn’t change the MB (following the Sheraton Move in 2020). We remained stable until the end of the term, until the dissolution of the Selangor state assembly.
“We had the opportunity to plan and organise development and welfare programmes. Yes, we made changes to schemes, but for the benefit of the people. We are not only proud of helping the poor but also reducing the poverty rate in the state,” he said.
The recent data released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) showed that Selangor’s contribution to Malaysia’s GDP increased to 25.5 per cent in 2022 from 24.8 per cent the previous year.
The state’s economic growth also rose by 11.9 per cent last year, surpassing the national growth rate of 8.7 per cent.
Last night, the election machinery in the six states to face the upcoming state assembly election was simultaneously launched.
On Friday, Anwar, who is also the Harapan chairman, launched the Selangor unity election machinery in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat.
The six states, namely Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, will go to the polls on August 12.
