Up to voters in Johor by-elections to judge Muhyiddin, says Dr Wee

The MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, stated that voters in the upcoming by-elections in Johor will be the ones to judge Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for issuing a political fatwa. Dr Wee also emphasized that political parties are free to use any election strategies, but ultimately, the voters will make the decision. He said, “Whatever the politician wants to say, let them say it. Most importantly you have to convince voters to vote for you. Whatever tactics parties want to use, that is their tactic. It is for the people to judge and make the right decision,”. Dr Wee expressed these remarks to reporters after chairing the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap) 2024 National Budget Roundtable Discussion at Wisma MCA on Wednesday (Sept 6).

During a Perikatan ceramah at Taman Kempas, Muhyiddin declared it “haram” or sinful to vote for Suhaizan in the Pulai by-election. He stated, “Do not give even one vote to Suhaizan, the ex-(Johor) speaker. I deem it as haram. Tomorrow someone will challenge me on which fatwa this was based on,”. Muhyiddin received criticism from various groups following his controversial remarks, and he is currently being investigated under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. Section 505(c) of the Penal Code is for making, publishing, or circulating any statement, rumour, or report with intent to incite or which is likely to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offense against any other class or community of persons. Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 is for improper use of network facilities or network services.

The by-elections for the Pulai parliamentary seat and Simpang Jeram state seat were conducted following the passing of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who previously held the positions of MP and assemblyman for those seats. In the Pulai by-election, Suhaizan from Pakatan is facing a three-cornered fight against Zulkifli Jaafar from Perikatan and Independent candidate Samsudin Mohamad Fauzi. The Pulai constituency is diverse, with Malays comprising 44.18% of the 166,653 registered voters, followed by Chinese (40.46%), Indians (12.31%), and other ethnicities (3.06%).