PORT DICKSON — Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s campaign for the Port Dickson by-election kicked off immediately after the nomination process with a meeting with the Sikh community at the Gurdwara Saheb Temple here yesterday.
During the event, Anwar expressed hope for peace and racial harmony in the country to be preserved by all races.
“I respect all religions and values. I appreciate the differences…I’m sure my presence here would cause us to lose some votes among the conservative Muslims, but I tell them that in my religion (Islam), giving respect and understanding different cultures and religions are important,” the PKR de facto leader said.
The Port Dickson by-election is seeing a seven-cornered fight between Anwar, Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar (PAS) and five independent candidates – former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abd Samad, Anwar’s former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, social media personality Stevie Chan Keng Leong, Kan Chee Yuen and Lau Seck Yan.
It was called after incumbent Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, from PKR, vacated the seat on Sept 12 to give way to Anwar who wants to make a comeback to the Parliament.
In the 14th General Election on May 9, Danyal Balagopal won the seat with a comfortable majority of 17,710 votes, defeating Barisan Nasional’s Datuk V.S. Mogan and Mahfuz Roslan of PAS.
Polling is on Oct 13. Early voting is on Oct 9. The Port Dickson seat has 75,770 registered voters, 68,468 ordinary voters, 7,268 early voters and 16 absentee voters.
— BERNAMA
