KLANG (July 29): Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today dismissed claims that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government is not delivering on its promises made in its election manifesto, to uphold the rights of the Malays and Islam.

The deputy prime minister said the opposition is playing up such issues in campaigning for the Sungai Kandis by-election.

"How many days have we (PH) been in government? How long was BN (Barisan Nasional) in government? That's what I need to ask back," she told reporters after attending a free health screening programme organised by the Kampung Baru Al-Islam Specialist Hospital, Kuala Lumpur with the health bureau of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) here today.

The Sungai Kandis by-election has been necessitated by the death of the assemblyman, Mat Shuhaimi  Shafiei of PKR, on July 2. Polling is on Aug 4 for the three-cornered contest that also involves Datuk Lokman  Noor Adam of the BN and independent candidate K. Murthy.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was reported as saying that the government needed more than 100 days to fulfil the election promises.

Some of the promises had been fulfilled including the elimination of the blacklist of borrowers of the National Higher Education Fund Corp and the abolishment of the goods and services tax.

On the decision by PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli to contest the deputy presidency in the party’s coming  elections, Dr Wan Azizah, who is PKR president, said: “We have democratic rights.”

She also shared about the condition of Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had recently  undergone surgery to remove a pancreatic tumour.

"I just came back from Singapore after visiting Muhyiddin and thank God, he is getting stronger after the surgery. He also thanked all those who had prayed for his speedy recovery," she said.