Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching has urged the public not to be deceived by a manipulated poster depicting potential party candidates as Muslim women wearing headscarves in an inappropriate manner.
Teo said she believed the altered image was intended to create fear and discourage non-Malay voters, particularly members of the Chinese community, from supporting Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the upcoming Johor election.
Teo condemns manipulated image
In a Facebook post today, Teo said DAP respected all religions and understood that the headscarf, as part of Muslim women’s attire, should never be trivialised.
“DAP respects all religions and understands that the headscarf, as part of female Muslim attire, should never be trivialised. The alteration of the poster is despicable and must be rejected,” she said.
She stressed that DAP had consistently championed the rights of all Malaysians regardless of race, background, region, religion or gender.
Claims of attempt to damage party image
Teo, who is also deputy communications minister, said the effort to tarnish DAP’s image appeared to reflect a lack of respect towards women.
She called on voters from all communities to reject such tactics and focus instead on preserving harmony and unity.
“Hopefully, voters of all races will reject this act. Let us all choose harmony, unity, and peace,” she said.
Johor election approaches
The Election Commission has fixed June 27 as nomination day for the Johor state election, while polling will be held on July 11 following the dissolution of the state assembly on June 1.
Johor has 56 state seats. Prior to the dissolution, Barisan Nasional held 40 seats, followed by Pakatan Harapan with 12 seats, Perikatan Nasional with three seats and Muda with one seat.
