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Friday, September 29, 2023

Moon represents my heart? Not so for Pelangai Chinese community








Moon represents my heart? Not so for Pelangai Chinese community


PELANGAI BY-ELECTION | The mid-autumn festival and PAS' logo both prominently feature the moon, but that is where their similarities end.

Yesterday evening, PAS and Perikatan Nasional vote canvassers organised an event to mark the mid-autumn festival in Telemong town which began with paper lanterns being lit when there was still plenty of daylight.

This was followed by an awkward moment where only a handful of children - who are not eligible to vote - joined the PN activists led by Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali, who held up the lanterns themselves to begin the event.

"We brought mooncakes that were made by PAS' women's wing. We are learning about Chinese culture, including the origins of pesta tanglung (lantern festival)," she said during her speech.

"Our message is that we walk the talk. PAS is not for just one ethnic group... We are brothers and sisters in PN. We have Malays, Chinese, Indians and Orang Asli."

The climax of the event was when PN candidate for Pelangai Kasim Samat was invited to cut a cake.


Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali (left) next to PN candidate Kasim Samat cutting a dragon cake


"This is a special cake. It has dragons," Halimah said, referring to the green cake topped with two red icing dragons.

The green cake was shared among the vote canvassers.

Halimah described Kasim as no stranger to Telemong as the Bentong PAS vice chief has been attending events held by various ethnic groups in the area.

She urged voters to choose Kasim to increase opposition representation in the Pahang legislative assembly which is 40.5 percent opposition.

The mid-autumn festival is a 3,000-year-old event to mark harvest in many parts of East Asia. Later-day legends concern rebellion against the Yuan dynasty.


Halimah and Kasim preparing lanterns with children


Modern-day observation of the mid-autumn festival involves the sharing of mooncakes and gatherings with family to observe the full autumn moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which is today.


Harapan ‘liars’

Leading PN's call for rebellion against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration was PAS supporters club member Chin Choy Hee, who in his speech called Pakatan Harapan "liars" for failing to reduce fuel prices and ensuring the government recognises the United Education Certificate (UEC).

"Our country is in dire straits. (Voters) should not be lied to," Chin said in his speech.

Chin is a Raub-based commissioner for oaths who was once the Raub DAP vice-chief. He left DAP in 2018.

In GE14, PAS fielded him as a candidate for Tras but he did not manage to keep his deposit.

The Pelangai constituency comprises 72 percent Malays, 18.1 percent Chinese and 5.82 percent Indians. Polling is on Oct 7.


1 comment:

  1. PAS only talks inclusiveness during election campaigns.
    The rest of the time , it is Race and Religion and war with "The Enemies of Islam".
    Sanusi scares the hell out of most Chinese.

    However, many Indians are increasingly drawn to PN.
    PAS has always had a significant Indian Supporter Wing, though PH sees them as mere beggars at PAS door.

    ReplyDelete