PERIKATAN Nasional (PN) is optimistic that it will seize the Kuala Kubu Bharu state assembly seat that has fallen vacant following the death of its DAP incumbent Lee Kee Hiong on March 21 due to ovarian cancer.
Hulu Bernam state assemblyman Mui’zzuddeen Mahyuddin expects to see a shift of Chinese votes this time around following unfavourable economic and political situation under the Madani Government.
“What they see is no longer about the dominance of a party but they want to see the actual performance (of the party) … they have wised up,” HarakahDaily quoted him as saying after the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Selangor State PAS Youth Hall Education Complex in Kuala Langat yesterday (April 1).
“If we look at it, many in the Chinese community have already started to evaluate how PN is performing in Selangor which is seen as a more advanced state.”
Lee, 58, beat Gerakan’s Teoh Kien Hong by a 4,119-vote majority at last year’s Selangor state election. She first won the KKB seat in 2013 after defeating MCA’s Ooi Hui Wen with a 1,702-vote majority and defended it in 2018 with a 7,134-vote majority over MCA’s Wong Koon Mun before winning a third term last year.
KKB falls under the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency which is currently represented by PN’s Mohd Hasnizan Harun. Roughly, it consists of 43% Malay voters, Chinese (33%), Indians (18%) and Orang Asli (5%).
Apart from KKB which is under the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) alliance, the Hulu Selangor constituency also comprised Hulu Bernam and Batang Kali, both of which come under PAS and Bersatu respectively.
In a related development, former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy has given assurance that members of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) will be participating in the by-elections to ensure Indian voters deny the PH candidate a chance to win.
“Urimai will point out the numerous instances in the past one year or so of how the hypocritical Madani government failed to live up to the expectations of the Indian community,” Ramasamy who is the Urimai interim council chairman pointed out.
“Rumours abound that DAP might field a Malay or Sikh candidate. However, given the conservative nature of the Chinese semi-urban and semi-rural Chinese, the fielding of Malay candidate might not be a wise move.”
While the Malays who are mainly PN supporters may not be swayed by DAP’s electoral tactics, Ramasamy reckoned that the fielding of a Sikh candidate might be an affront to the Indian population which is made up mostly former Tamil estate workers.
“Some active Indians influencers are already members of Bersatu. They are in the firm belief that Indians are upset with both the DAP and PKR for not standing up to the rights of the Indian community,” observed the three-term Perai state assemblyman.
“The failure on the part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to appoint an Indian Tamil minister has not gone down well with the predominantly Tamil community.
“The persons I talked to said that if the DAP appoints a Malay or Sikh candidate, it might well be the bola tanggung (golden opportunity for the opponent to make a kill) for the opposition.” – April 2, 2024
