Ibrahim Ali: Why I like Kamalanathan

KUALA KUBU BARU – Politics indeed makes strange bed fellows, Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali has now given his reasons for supporting Barisan Nasional's P Kamalanathan...their mutual love for the Constitution.
"I was told that if I'm a true Malay leader I should support the Malay candidate from PKR," he said, referring to his fellow Kelantanese, Zaid Ibrahim who is facing Kamalanathan in the Ulu Selangor by-election tomorrow.
Speaking to a crowd at the former Felda settlement in Sungai Buaya, Ibrahim said that anyone who "defends the basic founding principles of this country that we have been defending for the past 50 years will receive Perkasa's support."
"Better to support Kamalanathan who upholds the constitution than another Malay who rejects our constitutional foundation," he said, alleging that Zaid had previously questioned the special position of the Malays.
He reiterated that Perkasa was not a racist organisation and its support for Kamalanathan, an Indian, was a proof of Perkasa's openness.
Hugging rules
Ibrahim also defended his action in allowing Kamalanathan to hug him, saying it was a local custom.
"Nik Aziz hugged (DAP's) Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng. This is Malaysian culture, a sign of friendship, I'm not racist," he said.
"And what is wrong with Kamalanathan hugging me, maybe he hugged me because he wanted me to fight for the Indians," he added.
Ibrahim, who contested under a PAS ticket in Election 2008, also slammed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for using Perkasa to scare the non-Malay voters.
He also warned the villagers that a PR victory in the by-election tomorrow would lead to strife and a period of uncertainty.
"If Pakatan wins here, for the next two years until the general election, they will do nationwide road shows telling people how the people have rejected BN and how they are going to take over the country," said Ibrahim.
"The government's efforts to improve the economic situation, to attract more foreign investors will be made difficult," he added.
The by-election tomorrow is the 10th in the country since Election 2008, when PKR won the seat by a slim majority of 198 votes.