Amirudin dismisses claims Pakatan manifesto copied, says affordable housing and healthcare plans original

KLUANG, July 4 — PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has dismissed claims that Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) manifesto for the 16th Johor State Election was copied from other parties, saying it was developed by the coalition’s leadership over several months.

He said initiatives such as affordable housing and healthcare assistance were the result of careful planning by the PH leadership.

“It is up to them to say whatever they want, but the data and facts clearly show that these are original ideas developed by the PH leadership after months of deliberation following indications that a state election would be held,” he told reporters after the Jelajah Johor Ke Depan, Undi Harapan programme in Simpang Renggam here last night.

Also present were PKR vice-president R. Ramanan, Amanah secretary-general Faiz Fadzil, PH candidate for the Machap state seat Nur Hafiz Roslan, PH Benut candidate Abd Razak Ismail and PH Layang-Layang candidate Guna Balakrishnan.

Commenting on criticism that PH’s affordable housing target would be difficult to achieve, Amirudin, who is also Selangor Menteri Besar, said the target reflected the current needs of the people.

He said the Selangor state government had approved the construction of 174,000 affordable housing units, of which 40,000 had been completed.

“We set a bold target because the need is substantial. It is based on surveys and focus group discussions with our team. The figure is based on necessity, not capability, and we will work towards achieving it,” he said.

Amirudin, who is also PH’s Johor election machinery director, said grassroots campaign efforts had received encouraging feedback, although he believed many voters had yet to openly express their support.

He said the presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PH chairman, at campaign events in Johor tomorrow would boost the morale of party workers and strengthen voter confidence in PH.

A total of 172 candidates are contesting 56 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats in the Johor State Election, with polling on July 11 and early voting on July 7.

To get the latest news on the 16th Johor State Election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor. — Bernama