Seru orang ramai undi ikut garis kaum memburukkan jurang sosial, kata Karim

Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the Chief Spokesman of the Pakatan Rakyat Bersatu party, has cautioned that appealing to Sarawak's populace to vote based on ethnic lines could exacerbate social divisions and hinder national unity. Speaking to the media in Kuala Lumpur, Hamzah emphasized that the present political landscape in Malaysia, where parties representing the Malay and Chinese communities have been exacerbating social fragmentation, could lead to further polarization.

During the Peninsular Malaysia's recent general election (PRN), Malays were urged to support Malay candidates and parties, a tactic that has only widened existing societal rifts. Hamzah warned that if such political practices continue, they will not yield positive outcomes, nor promote unity. In an exclusive interview with Dayak Daily, he stressed that Sarawak's governance is a model that prioritizes unity among diverse ethnic groups while driving socio-economic progress.

For Hamzah, the key is to focus on unity, welfare, and development, rather than exploiting ethnic identities, which he believes is a reason for Pakatan Harapan's defeat in the recent Peninsular Malaysia general election. The former PH poll manager, Amirudin Shari, attributed the party's poor performance in the PRN Johor to their heavy use of ethnic identity campaigning, which he said has sown seeds of mistrust and uncertainty among Malays and non-Malays.