THERE is no shortcut to victory for Pakatan Harapan (PH) and UMNO in the face of the forthcoming state polls, and both have no choice but to capitalise on their respective strengths, said Amanah communications director Khalid Samad.
Speaking to Utusan Malaysia, the former Federal Territories minister, PH has the advantage of inculcating good governance which has become a priority in the current administration.
UMNO, on the other hand, has better access to the people, especially the Malay communities throughout the country.
As such, Khalid opined that the collaboration between PH and UMNO is good synergy in the face of the “green wave” brought about by PAS and the Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“UMNO members must see that they will be better off working with PH. The coalition’s culture of good governance can be emulated by UMNO, as that is the party’s weakness all along,” he pointed out to the news portal.
“Meanwhile, what UMNO brings to the table in their collaboration with PH is access to the people, especially the Malays.
“Through UMNO, PH can clarify any confusions that have arisen from their decision to [work together to form a coalition government] so that the Malays can better accept the current government.”
Khalid was commenting on an earlier report about the factors that both PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) can use to their advantage to prevent the “green wave” in the upcoming state elections in the six states.
Among the factors that were listed by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) senior lecturer from the Centre for Media and Information Warfare Studies (CMIWS) Dr Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin is the maintaining of political stability to boost investor confidence and restore the country’s economy.
Other factors that would prove to be an important turning-point for both coalitions to keep the “green wave” at bay is to ensure that all 1.5 million members in the six states come out in droves to cast their votes and not boycott the candidates fielded by BN or PH while also working hard to successfully win the hearts of 4.9 young voters.
“The people are sick and tired of these endless political games so they are more inclined to vote for a stable political party. And so, the collaboration among the component parties in the unity government has an advantage over other parties,” Khalid remarked.
“Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘aura’ can – to some extent – influence voters, especially fence-sitters who have yet decided who they are going to vote for, and if they take these criteria as their benchmark, then candidates fielded by the unity government would be their main choice.”
However, Khalid also acknowledged the dynamic and fluid nature of the country’s politics and how voters may change their minds at the eleventh hour.
He also noted that the collaboration between PH and UMNO has the potential of reaching greater heights if both can maintain their compatibility in addition to respecting one another.
“This collaboration is not a ‘marriage of convenience’ (nikah mutaah) but if the compatibility between both can be maintained and if both have mutual respect for one another, this can be a long-term thing,” he added. – June 15, 2023
Main pic credit: Bernama
