SHAH ALAM - Kota Lama assemblyman Dr Hafidzah Mustakim has said that the victory of a party in an election depends more on political sentiments than performance.
She made the remarks during a panel discussion on the Sinar Wacana programme titled "66 Years of Independence: Where is the Political Power of Women?".
"If I lose with the manifesto, it is still acceptable, but I am not willing to lose if it is played with 2R sentiments, religion and racism, rather than reputation.
"This shows that we (politicians) won, but the people lost, because the victory was for our interests," she said
Hafidzah said that this phenomenon is very noticeable and worrying as it can threaten the well-being and economy of the people.
She added that her victory in the Kota Lama State Assembly proves that the people accept women as representatives of the people, despite the fierce competition.
"Although we have been labelled as traitors and opponents of the Islamic struggle, we are not afraid of what we want to do later," he said.
The other panellists in the discussion were PKR Women's Law and Legal Bureau Head Rabiatul Adawiyah Sulaiman; Muslimat Pas Strategic and Risk Management Director Wan Hasrina Wan Hassan; and Bersatu Srikandi Chief Nurul Fadzilah Kamaluddin.
The discussion was moderated by Herleena Pahlavy.