PETALING JAYA: DAP’s presence on the ground for the Nenggiri by-election may confuse voters, said Umno Veterans’ Club secretary Datuk Mustapha Yaakub.
“We respect DAP’s intention to help in the Nenggiri by-election, but their presence may not be appropriate given that there are no Chinese communities in the Orang Asli villages there,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He noted that the local Orang Asli population was made up of Malays who spoke Malay and were predominantly Muslim.
“If DAP comes to the field to help, it could confuse the Orang Asli community and affect the support and votes for the Barisan Nasional candidate,” he said.
He said DAP’s presence could be used by the Opposition against Umno and Barisan Nasional.
“It is better that DAP helps in other ways to support Umno and Barisan in Nenggiri,” he said.
