JOHOR BARU: Parti Bersama Malaysia has unveiled a five-point service pledge outlining the commitment of its candidates to voters.
Its president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli said Bersama viewed this as a more relevant approach than a manifesto, given that the party was contesting only 15 seats.
“Not only are 15 seats not enough to form the state government, we must also be realistic that winning in all will be hard, considering Bersama is only 44 days old.
“Our objective is very clear, which is to become a functional, capable and credible opposition.
“So it is better to focus on what we can offer in serving the people of Johor,” he told a press conference with co-founder Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Bersama’s candidates yesterday.
Rafizi said Bersama’s candidates had pledged to be the voice of the people, serve as a constructive opposition, champion the people’s housing rights, push for an integrated public transport system and act as check and balance on the state government’s spending and performance.
“This is a state election and the powers of the federal and state governments are clearly defined under the Constitution.
“Our service pledge will focus on areas such as housing, land matters, public transport to ease congestion, as well as state spending and administrative efficiency.”
On a separate matter, Rafizi criticised the use of government agencies to support certain parties’ campaigns in the state polls.
He expressed concern over high-cost election campaigns, saying they were inconsistent with the government’s commitment to combating corruption and wastage.
“Previously, when Pakatan Harapan was the opposition heading into the 2018 general election, the use of government assets for political campaigns was a big issue.
“However, in recent times, even before nomination day and during the first few days of the campaign, we have observed that it has become common for government agencies to organise programmes attended by ministers and election candidates.”
Rafizi also announced that Bersama would introduce a new campaign approach by allowing voters to invite the party’s candidates directly to their homes or premises for face-to-face engagements.
“This approach can gradually help to clean up election campaigns by reducing the need for excessive spending and questionable sources of political funding.
“Voters, including associations and community groups, could submit invitations through the party’s official website.”
