ALOR SETAR: In the run-up to elections in Kedah and five other states, a Barisan Nasional (BN) leader has called on all party leaders and supporters to exercise political maturity.
Kedah BN chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid (pix) said party leaders hold the responsibility to ensure a political atmosphere free of intense hatred that can undermine harmony in the country.
“We want to see political maturity. Leaders in the government and opposition must have the wisdom (to shun extremism). The politics of extremism will lead to the destruction of the nation. There will be no peace,” he told a press conference here today.
The Kedah police today received two reports of damage to billboards believed to have been put up ahead of the state elections. Kedah Police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said the reports stated the incidents occurred in Kubang Pasu and Kulim.
Kedah, along with Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Selangor and Terengganu, is scheduled to go to the polls on Aug 12. Nomination for these state elections is on July 29.
Mahdzir, who is also the Kedah Umno Liaison Committee chairman, said party leaders play an important role in ensuring that their supporters act rationally.
“Don’t allow supporters to go to the extreme. Leaders must show the way. We are in 2023. People are talking of artificial intelligence ... of a digital world, and we are resorting to politics of extremism. That’s out of sync,” he said.
Mahdzir also said that more than 30 per cent of the BN candidates in Kedah for the state elections are new faces.
“We have taken into account all factors that can bring us victory. Most importantly, the candidate must be a person that the people like. And, the party likes him or her, too,” he said.
Mahdzir said he is confident of the cooperation between the BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) parties, adding that there is compatibility at the grassroots. -Bernama
