[ Laman Ehwal Semasa ReformIS ]
Date: 18 Aug 1999
Time: 04:20:19
Remote User: -
Sympathy 'can bridge race divide'
PASIR PUTEH: Former Tumpat Umno chief Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar said public sympathy for the opposition pact can overcome the racial divide between the parties.
He said PAS supporters had shown they were willing to vote for DAP candidates in the coming election and vice-versa.
"I have been to urban Chinese-majority areas and rural Malay areas and from what I gathered, they are willing to vote for candidates from any opposition party, not only their own party," he said.
Speaking at a PAS political gathering at Kampung Wakaf near here, Kamaruddin said the willingness of opposition party members to back candidates outside their party was crucial in marginal seats.
"In the past, Chinese voters would rather abstain from voting or destroy their votes than vote for a PAS candidate," he said.