JOHOR BAHRU, Johor: Claims that election manifestos are merely “copy-paste” documents should not arise, said Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Deputy Secretary-General, Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) said similarities in the manifestos offered by contesting parties reflect the people’s issues that need to be addressed.
“On welfare issues, I think all candidates talk about them. Housing is also an issue. Almost every party is addressing the same issues because these are the people’s concerns.
“So why should it be questioned if there are manifestos that appear similar? It’s good for the people,” she told BERNAMA after attending the ‘Chit Chat Wanita’ programme and the launch of the ‘Offer for Tiram’ initiative here today.
Hannah said this in response to claims by certain quarters that Pakatan Harapan‘s (PH) manifesto for the 16th Johor State Election was a “copy-paste” of the Barisan Nasional (BN) manifesto.
Commenting on candidates’ profiles, Hannah said DAP has demonstrated its commitment to empowering women by fielding eight female candidates among the party’s 17 candidates.
She said women candidates have the potential to become policymakers and are capable of taking on major portfolios, and could even serve as Menteri Besar if given the mandate.
As an example, she praised Tiram candidate, Nor Zulaila Abdul Ghani, who has 12 years of experience in administration at the local authority, state and federal levels.
“We have good candidates. Lily (Nor Zulaila), for example, challenges stereotypes and is unique because her mother is Malay and her father is Chinese. Candidates like her can help put racial issues to rest,” she said.
Nor Zulaila is involved in a four-cornered contest with BN, Parti Bersama Malaysia and Perikatan Nasional candidates.
PH is contesting all 56 seats in the state election. Polling is on July 11 and early voting on July 7.
For the latest updates on the 16th Johor State Election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/. – BERNAMA
