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JOHOR BAHRU – Muda's Maharani candidate for the 16th Johor state election, Muhammad Amir Fikri Mustapha, has claimed that he is facing pressure to remove images of former Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman from his election campaign materials.
Amir, who also serves as Syed Saddiq's aide, alleged that the pressure was exerted through the authorities, calling the move unfair and politically motivated.
"Now they've gone as far as pressuring the authorities to make me remove Syed Saddiq's photos from my campaign materials. What is going on? What's next? Are we not allowed to do this anymore?" he said in a video posted on his social media.
Questioning the alleged justification behind the request, Amir, fondly known as Amir Jack, argued that the explanation was inconsistent with how other political parties conducted their campaigns.
"My question is simple. If the reason is that only the party president's photo can appear alongside the candidate's, then is Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Onn Hafiz the party president? Why wasn't Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's photo used instead?
"And if the argument is that the candidate is from Amanah, then why wasn't Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu's photo included? Be fair," he said.
He also warned that he would not remain silent if he continued to face intimidation.
"If there are any more threats like this, I will not stay silent. I will reveal the names of those who have been pressuring me up until today. If you really want to take me on, face me directly. Don't hide behind other people," he said.
The Maharani state seat is expected to be among the closely watched contests in the Johor state election, given its combination of urban areas in Muar and surrounding suburban communities.
Categorised as a mixed constituency, Maharani has historically been represented by several political parties from both the government and opposition blocs, making it one of the state's more competitive seats.
Polling on Jul 11 will see a four-cornered contest in Maharani involving candidates from Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Muda.
