Effective policies and programmes best way to sway fence sitters, Rafizi says with Umno core voters divided ahead of state polls
PUTRAJAYA, July 28 — Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli today said the most effective way to convince undecided voters is to come up with policies and programmes that address their biggest concerns.
He said Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition has always worked on finding solutions to answer the most pressing problems faced by Malaysians, whether it was in government or not, as the best way to win public support amid election fever in the run-up to the August 12 elections for six states.
“In fact, in our campaign before the unity government or after the unity government, it’s always focused on people's issues and policies.
“If you look at my own campaign, the campaign from PH itself so far, the purpose of our campaign is what forms of policy to solve the problems of the people,” he told reporters after attending the 2022 household income and expenditure survey presentation here.
Rafizi acknowledged the unwavering loyalty of PH’s core supporters for ensuring the coalition’s victory in last November’s GE15.
He said the PH campaign is also aimed to appeal to undecided voters who are open to considering different policy perspectives and options.
“The strong support base will support us no matter what, but the undecided voters are very focused on policy issues, government programs and so on,” he said.
Rafizi was also asked to comment on recent news reports of rifts within Umno’s support base with loyalists of its convicted former leader Datuk Seri Najib Razak saying they would vote for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidates in next month’s state elections instead as they claimed to have lost faith in current president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Rafizi said he would leave it to the wisdom of the Umno leadership.
He said his concern lay solely in presenting coherent policies and plans that resonate with the electorate, rather than getting entangled in internal party dynamics.
“So, matters in Umno in terms of the views of different groups are best left to the wisdom of the Umno leadership now.
“But as a unity government and for PH, my view is that the best way to convince the people is to focus on the most important things.
“I'm sure our focus on the undecided voters will give more results in the state elections than us getting caught up in the views of certain groups,” he said.
Last Tuesday, Malay daily Berita Harian reported that supporters of Najib declared they would vote for PN candidates in the state elections.
The newspaper cited its leader Syed Muhammad Imran Syed Abdul Aziz saying that as Umno members, they have lost faith in Zahid as he seemed to treat the party as belonging to an individual.
