SHAH ALAM - The public has been urged to remain rational and not be easily influenced by political slander or propaganda allegedly aimed at attacking Datuk Seri Farhash Wafa Salvador ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16).
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Political Science Programme senior lecturer Dr Jamaie Hamil said allegations linking Farhash to money laundering activities involving billions of ringgit overseas appeared to be more about shaping public perception and political attacks rather than proven wrongdoing.
Jamaie said Malaysians should adopt a more mature political mindset and avoid being swayed by incitement designed to secure political influence and power.
“The people need to be mature because the task of politicians is indeed to look for weaknesses in their opponents. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is among the best leaders Malaysia currently has, even at the Asian level,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Farhash had earlier denied allegations connecting him to theft and money laundering activities involving billions of ringgit abroad. He described the accusations as untrue, baseless and defamatory, claiming they were intended to damage his reputation and integrity while also affecting his personal and business affairs.
The denial followed reports by several news portals citing the contents of a video recording allegedly involving a conversation between two individuals identified as Sofia Rini and Albert Tei Jiann Cheing.
Jamaie added that voters should judge leaders based on their capabilities and credibility in steering the country towards better development rather than relying on politically driven narratives.
He said personal attacks were a common tactic in politics aimed at influencing public perception and weakening political rivals.
“This issue of perception is common in politics. Leaders will look for any weakness in their opponents to influence voters.
“So a mature political approach needs to be instilled among the people so that they can evaluate leaders rationally and not be influenced by propaganda,” he said.