Zahid: Party looking to woo voters, offer a better agenda
JOHOR BARU: Barisan Nasional will not resort to attacking its political opponents during campaigning in the Johor state polls, says its chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said both federal and state party machineries had been instructed to focus on addressing people’s concerns by offering better policies and solutions rather than engaging in political attacks.
“We will answer if we are attacked, but we do not intend to attack any party,” he said when met after attending an event at Masjid Sultan Iskandar here yesterday.
He added that Barisan’s campaign approach would focus on issues affecting the rakyat and on presenting constructive proposals that could benefit voters in Johor and beyond.
“Our focus is on offering a better agenda for voters rather than engaging in personal attacks or negative campaigning.
“Barisan’s approach would be implemented not only in Johor but also in other states that may face elections in the future,” he said.
On candidate selection, Ahmad Zahid said Barisan would announce its candidates for the Johor polls about a week before nomination day on June 27.
He said the selection process was currently in its final stage, adding that further details would be disclosed once the list had been fully endorsed.
On a separate matter, Ahmad Zahid said he welcomed the formation of Parti Wawasan Negara if it helped unite Malays rather than create further divisions.
The Umno president said any individual or leader was free to form a new political party provided its objective was aimed at strengthening unity among Malays.
“Whatever platform is used, what is important is that we unite our actions based on the national agenda, the Islamic agenda and the community agenda,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid added that support could be extended to any movement that shared those aspirations and was committed to working towards common goals.
He noted that leaders from various backgrounds had previously come together under national collaboration initiatives.
Such initiatives, he added, brought together political parties, non-governmental organisations and other groups to exchange views and seek common ground on national issues.
He also said such collaborative efforts were carried out without sidelining Malaysians of other races and religions.
Ahmad Zahid cited Umno’s Rumah Bangsa initiative as an example, saying it had contributed to fostering greater national unity and understanding among different segments of society.
On Saturday, Gerakan Reset Malaysia chairman Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin announced the formation of a new political party known as Parti Wawasan Negara, aimed at strengthening political cooperation with PAS and other like-minded parties in the country.
