DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said that Dr Mahathir was needed to complement PH’s strength in cities and towns.
Lim said that unless the rural Malay voters can be convinced to support PH, then “gerrymandering and unfair democratic practices” would prevent the pact from winning the general election.
“If Mahathir cannot help create a wave of change among the rural Malay voters for the 14GE in the remaining 100 days, then no other political leader could accomplish this ‘Mission Impossible’,” he said.
Speaking at an event in Batu Pahat last night, Lim said a political tsunami in both urban and rural areas was needed to effect a change in government.
“An urban political tsunami without a rural political tsunami will end up like GE13, with Datuk Seri Najib Razak continuing as a minority prime minister because of constituency gerrymandering and unfair democratic practices.
“A rural political tsunami without an urban political tsunami because the urban voters have given up hope that there is a possibility of democratic change, surrendering to a sense of hopelessness about the future, will also end up redounding to the benefit of Najib, Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).
“We need both an urban and a rural political tsunami in GE14,” he said, adding that this depended not only on individual leaders but on the efforts of all four Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties – PKR, DAP, Amanah and PPBM.
Mahathir, who is chairman of PPBM and PH, has been named the coalition’s candidate for prime minister ahead of GE14, while PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is the deputy prime minister candidate.
Saying that BN was “clearly rattled” by the decision, Lim called on all Malaysians to unite and vote for the first change of federal government in 60 years.
“The most important lesson of the 13th general election of May 5, 2013, is that unless we can ensure a political tsunami in both the urban and rural areas, it will be impossible to bring about political change in Malaysia through the democratic process,” he said.
Meanwhile, the brewing movement dubbed #undirosak is calling for voters to deliberately spoil their ballots as a form of political protest.
Wan Azizah blamed the movement last week on “haters” of Mahathir, whom she said were unhappy with PH’s decision to nominate him as its candidate to be prime minister.
