DESPITE some reports suggesting that PAS stranglehold in Kelantan was weakening with various issues threatening its dominance, the Islamist party has unofficially sealed the deal with 43 seats.
Among the issues highlighted in the media in the run up to the state polls was the shock announcement that incumbent menteri besar (MB) Datuk Ahmad Yakob would not be returned into the hot seat.
Ahmad had later said it was his call to not take up the MB position, citing poor health as the key reason and having communicated his decision earlier to the PAS leadership.
Early reports of poor voter turnout was also spun by some quarters as a sign that PAS was losing its grip in its stronghold.
The large crowds at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ceramah on the East Coast state was also taken as a sign that younger voters may be ready for a change.
PMX’s move to tackle the state’s persistent water and flood woes was also mooted as a possible catalyst for change.
With PAS hierarchy urging Kelantanese to take nothing for granted and to come out in full force to vote was taken as a sign of panic. The strong showing again underlines the party’s credentials in the state and that it will take something monumental for its voters to swing. – Aug 12, 2023
