Ali Rustam wants 100pc of Indian votes

Mohd Ali making his speech at the 1 Malaysia Indian dinner held at SRJK (C) Merlimau last night, by his side are the lucky draw prizes. — Picture by Jack Ooi 

JASIN, March 4 — Malacca chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam said yesterday that he wants 100 per cent support from the Indian community in the Merlimau by-election.
The seat’s electoral roll has 10, 679 votes, with 6,935 Malay voters, 2,218 Chinese voters and 1,510 Indians voters.

Some of the 1000 Indians attending the event and its lucky draw. — Picture by Jack Ooi

“I want to make sure that we get 101 per cent support from the Indian voters so we can ignore the 1 per cent spoiled votes,” he said while addressing a crowd of over 1000 in a dinner organised by the 1 Malaysia supporter’ sclub. He also told DAP’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Siang.
“They lost in Malacca and ran to Penang. I ask them to stay in Penang and not disturb the people here,” he said.
Both Guan Eng and Kit Siang were elected as Member of Parliament in the Kota Melaka seat.
Earlier the organisers had only allowed in Indians with an invitation ticket and tried to deny reporters from entering the premises.
Organisers were also reluctant to confirm who was behind the dinner before admitting that they were from the 1 Malaysia supporter’s club.
However when those attended told The Malaysian Insider that they had received the tickets from MIC branch members near the estates.
Later, Mohd Ali told reporters that the future of the Indian community is guaranteed with Barisan Nasional (BN).
“We have given a lot to the Indian community and if we win big, we will give more and our service will also be better,”
He also claimed poverty no longer exists among the Indians in Malacca.
“There are many in the Indian community that is already rich and many are having an easy life. Many changes have happened,” he said.
Mohd Ali also denied that the dinner was organized by BN.
“I was not invited… I saw a lot a people here and that is why I decided to stop by,” he said.
The Merlimau by-election was called following the death of Mohamad Hidhir on January 20.
The by-election will be a straight fight between PAS’s Yuhaizat Abdullah and Umno’s Roslan Ahmad.

Mohd Ali Rustamv( Center) seen leading a group of Indian to shout ‘1 Malaysia’ slogan! — Picture by Jack Ooi

BN currently controls 23 of the state assembly seats, while DAP is the only opposition with five. The late Datuk Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hasson retained the Merlimau state seat in the last general election after he defeated PAS’s Jasme Tompang by a majority of 2,154 votes. In Election 2004, he won the seat by 5,087 votes.
Merlimau is located within the Jasin parliamentary constituency, a stronghold of BN, which won all the five state seats in Election 2008.
Mohd Ali making his speech at the 1 Malaysia Indian dinner held at SRJK (C) Merlimau last night, by his side are the lucky draw prizes. — Picture by Jack Ooi
Some of the 1000 Indians attending the event and its lucky draw. — Picture by Jack Ooi
Mohd Ali Rustamv( Center) seen leading a group of Indian to shout ‘1 Malaysia’ slogan! — Picture by Jack Ooi