MALACCA POLLS | Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged voters in the Malacca state election to usher in political change to help save the country, while making a pitch for candidates aligned with the federal administration, saying they would have a “direct line” to his office.

Anwar (above), who chairs Pakatan Harapan, said electing representatives who shared the federal government's direction and maintained close ties with Putrajaya would facilitate development projects and ensure that local communities' concerns and welfare needs were addressed.

The appeal, however, could raise questions about the propriety of making access to the prime minister's office an electoral selling point, particularly if it suggests that constituencies represented by government-aligned candidates could enjoy an advantage in securing federal attention or development resources.