KEDAH Pakatan Harapan (PH) election director Datuk Zamri Yusof said the sky is not always cloudy for the opposition in the state where the Perikatan Nasional (PN) lost only one parliamentary seat in the 15th General Election.
He said, even though the vote of young people (40% of voters) is decisive, there have been signs of change since the GE15.
For that matter, he said the young voters did not have any idea how Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would rule the country.
They have no history with Anwar or his leadership style, and they have no idea how it will be with Anwar as PM or how it was in the past with Anwar as a deputy PM in the government.
He added that from the GE15 to the Padang Serai by-election, the sentiments of the younger voters, those below 40, were not positive towards Anwar.
“Just in the last four to five months, we have seen signs or trends that are quite different. They (young people) are getting to know Anwar (political struggle) little by little.
“Those who called him communist found that he is not a communist. Liberal, he is not liberal. An agent of the Jews, he is not altogether.
“But it is the credibility of Anwar that has increased lately,” Zamri told Suara Keadilan.
He pointed out that this change in attitude might help the PH since the government coalition will get continued support from those who are over 40 and have been consistent in voting for PH.
On the other hand, PAS is confident that with ‘poster boy’ Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s popularity, they will win the state elections.
In October 2022, Sanusi said if the state polls were held along with the GE15, the PN-PAS would have won by 30-0, leaving no seats in the state assembly for the PH.
Several PAS leaders have indicated to Malaysiakini that Sanusi will be PN’s poster boy to defend the PAS-led administration in the state.
“The MB will be the poster boy for PAS and PN to defend the Kedah state government,” they said.
However, Zamri stated the overconfidence of the PAS is their worst enemy in the upcoming state elections.
He said because of the massive win for the PN-PAS in Kedah in November last year, the Kedah PN, especially PAS, is not taking the challenge of the unity government seriously.
The state elections are to be held this July. — April 15, 2023
Main photo credit: Malaysiakini
