PETALING JAYA: Several political parties have kicked off their roadshows ahead of the 15th General Election (GE15) that is speculated to be held soon.
Over the past weeks, Barisan Nasional, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, has held events in several states.
Recently, PKR announced that it has started a series of campaigns involving online and on-ground engagements while the pro-Barisan Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) had an event in Ampang.
Other parties like the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) and Parti Warisan have also amped up their activities to engage with voters.
On Friday, Barisan election director Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the coalition’s machinery in nine states was ready for GE15.
Mohamad, who is also Barisan deputy chairman, said he made the assessment after engaging with the respective coalition leadership in those states.
Several PKR leaders, including deputy president Rafizi Ramli, vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Tanjung Malim MP Chang Lih Kang, went on a #AyuhMalaysia truck campaign to several parliamentary seats in the Klang Valley yesterday to reach out to voters.
Rafizi said the tour would continue next weekend to the southern part, which includes Felda plantations and rural areas.
Aside from holding ceramah, he said the party would also conduct training for polling agents and counting agents.
“This training will focus on ‘phone bank’ tutorials and train volunteers to become credible agents,” he said.
The newly-formed PBM is also getting its act together with president-designate Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin back in her parliamentary seat in Ampang to mingle with the people.
At a press conference, Zuraida said PBM would field candidates in seven parliamentary and seven state seats.
She added that the party would defend all the seats currently held by its members who had won them under other political party banners during GE14.
“We’re not asking for more seats but are going to focus on those we already have.
“Our party is new but we have experienced leaders.
“Besides, time is short with GE15 looming,” she said after kicking off the party’s political tour to meet voters in Pangsapuri Seri Intan.
PBM is also slated to launch its Selangor headquarters in Shah Alam.
Separately, Muda is also seizing the opportunity with its first political engagement in Sabah.
After launching the Sabah Muda office, its president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the party shares the same vision as Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, envisioning Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners.
“We have great respect for the former chief minister as someone who has been in the Opposition since 2018. People forget that he is still part of the Opposition.
“He could have picked the easy route to jump (to another party).
“He could have potentially become the deputy prime minister if he had jumped in 2020, but he didn’t.
“He lost the state government to defend the people’s mandate,” said Syed Saddiq.
Sabah Muda also launched its state-level Malaysia Maju campaign, aimed at gathering the aspirations of Sabahans.
The “listening tour”, as dubbed by Muda, aimed to bring politics back to the people and to remind party leaders and future elected representatives that the interests of the people must be at the forefront of policymaking.
Muda also organised a fundraising event on Friday night with RM100,000 collected, said Syed Saddiq on his Twitter account.
Through his official Facebook page, Shafie, the Warisan president, has been engaging Sabahans through online ceramah weekly.
His segment, called “Let’s Talk”, discusses pressing issues that would affect the people in the state.
