PENANG Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy has slammed PKR’s decision to use its own logo rather than Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) in the upcoming Johor state polls.
However, the party’s decision will have serious repercussions on PH as a coalition, the Perai assemblyperson warned.
“PH coalition partners DAP and Amanah have decided to stick with the coalition’s logo and I think this is a good move, bearing in mind the need for alternative politics in the country,” he opined.
“PKR leaders might have all the good reasons – strategic or tactical – as to why they prefer to fall back on the party’s logo in the forthcoming Johor state election but then what are the implications of using the logo for the emergence of a new brand of alternative politics?
“How can PH as a whole broaden the coalition to face UMNO/BN in the next general elections if PKR cannot even use the coalition’s logo in the state by-elections?
“If PKR does not trust the coalition’s logo then what is the point of having the coalition in the first place?”
PKR yesterday (Jan 26) announced that it would use its own logo in the Johor polls, noting that the PH logo had too much baggage tied to its 22-month stint in government.
Ramasamy went on to call PKR’s argument to abandon the PH logo “highly preposterous” and pointed out that abandoning the common and agreed-upon logo does not augur well for alternative politics in the country.
“The problem was not the logo but the leadership that was used and manipulated by none other than former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,” he said.
“Why should PKR leaders blame the logo rather than taking the blame themselves?
“The PH leadership should take the blame for their close and parasitic relationship with Mahathir – this was the reason for PH’s downfall and this was the reason why Mahathir was able to split PKR with the runaway faction headed by (Datuk Seri) Azmin Ali.” – Jan 27, 2022
Main photo credit: FMT
