{
  "id": 17618552,
  "title": "Seru orang ramai undi ikut garis kaum memburukkan jurang sosial, kata Karim",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/seru-orang-ramai-undi-ikut-garis-kaum-memburukkan-jurang-sosial-kata-17618552",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-01T13:34:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/11/01/seru-orang-ramai-undi-ikut-garis-kaum-memburukkan-jurang-sosial-kata-karim"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the Head of Communications for the Pakatan Rakyat Bersatu party, has expressed concern that campaigning along ethnic lines could widen the social divide in Sarawak. In a recent statement, Hamzah emphasized that unity, welfare of the people, and development are more important than religious or ethnic divisions. He warned that such a strategy could exacerbate the existing social gaps in the region.\n\nHamzah pointed out that political landscapes in Malaysia tend to pit different communities against each other. He specifically mentioned the recent election in Negeri Sembilan, where Malay voters were urged to support Malay candidates and parties. Such tactics, he argued, only serve to widen the existing divides in society.\n\nHamzah also expressed his reservations about the direction that such politics could lead, stating that he does not believe it would bring about any positive outcomes. Instead, he sees it as detrimental to unity and progress. As reported by Dayak Daily, Hamzah highlighted Sarawak's model as a successful example that prioritizes unity among diverse communities while promoting socio-economic advancement.\n\nIn Sarawak, Hamzah stressed, ethnicity or religion is not given undue importance. What matters more is unity, welfare of the people, and development. He criticized the exploitation of identity politics as the reason for Pakatan Harapan's defeat in the Negeri Sembilan PRN. Amirudin Shari, the PH's poll manager, had previously stated that he believed identity-based campaigns would sow seeds of division and continued mistrust among Malaysians, particularly between Malays and non-Malays. Before the Negeri Sembilan PRN, Ilham Centre had forecasted that Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional would receive more Malay support than the BN did in the Johor PRN just months earlier, largely due to the use of identity politics during the campaign.",
  "summary": "Ketua penerangan PBB kata parti-parti yang mewakili masyarakat Melayu dan Cina telah memburukkan perpecahan masyarakat.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}