Actor-comedian S. Ganapragasam has been a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) member for nearly four years and campaigned hard during the 15th General Election last November.
His hard work paid off after he was named Bersatu Selangor’s associate wing deputy chairman in January.
“I recently did an interview explaining why I chose Bersatu when there are so many other parties, especially as I am not a Malay or a Muslim,” said Ganapragasam, better known as Gana.
“I explained that Bersatu has had a bad reputation for supposedly being only pro-Malay or pro-Muslim, when in fact, it is a party that accepts all races.
“MIC fights for the Indians, MCA for the Chinese. But in Bersatu, despite the majority of members being Malay, we also have nearly 30,000 non-Malay members. That is amazing, and we will try to get more to join us before the state elections on Aug 12.”
Besides Selangor, five other states – Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan – will head to the polls next month.
Bersatu is part of the Perikatan Nasional coalition that includes Pas and Gerakan.
Many view PN as a pro-Malay and pro-Islam coalition, primarily due to its largest component, Pas.
“While I have always preferred to help other candidates, if given the chance, I will gladly contest as I want to change people’s perception of Bersatu. I have been attacked for my support for Bersatu, even at a personal level.”
Gana, who acted in the movie ‘Appalam’, said that for the past seven months since GE15, the associate wing had been busy recruiting non-Malay members and volunteers, and helping the community with their education.
“We gave out financial aid, including tuition fees and cash for school uniforms. We have also been calling for the abolition of the quota system for places in public universities.”
“We are also explaining to the people that Bersatu is a multiracial party. Many still do not see that.
“Hopefully, we can spread that message when we hold talks during the campaign. We are giving the non-Malays a chance to voice their concerns and to participate in building a better country.”
Gana, previously a member of the now-dissolved People’s Progressive Party, witnessed vicious infighting among its leaders, and said it was not like that in Bersatu.
“We believe in the leadership of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (Bersatu president). He has helped many Malaysians of all races,” said Gana.
“The public prefers officials from Bersatu, Pas and Gerakan. The three parties know how to settle their differences amicably.”
Although he trusts Muhyiddin, Gana is a little concerned that former MIC members had met with the former prime minister last week, in a bid to join the party.
“The decision whether to admit former MIC members is for the leadership to decide, but I can tell you, it will not go down well with the voters,” said Gana.
“It will be the same old faces from a party that is no longer relevant in the eyes of the Indian community.
“We have a month to prepare for the elections. If we help solve some issues affecting the people, we can make a dent in Pakatan Harapan’s strongholds in Selangor.”
