Rafizi says at 50:50 chances in Kedah, PH must work harder to win

ECONOMY Minister Rafizi Ramli is already on the campaign trail for the state elections (PRN) in August, saying Kedah is now at 50-50 and that Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election machinery must double its efforts to win in the PAS-held state.Rafizi, who is also the Keadilan election director, stated one of the ways to win in the state is to rationalise the thinking of Kedah voters, especially the young generation who were swayed by emotions in the last 15th General Election (GE15).“In Kedah, the situation is 50:50. We see that there has been a shift in support in terms of Malay voters from the last GE to now. We see that Malay voters remain solid to PH. In these five weeks, all kinds of things can happen.“The burden of the PH machinery in Kedah is much heavier than in Selangor and Penang because of the fierce fighting that took place in Kedah including the Gurun seat,” he said in the Launching Ceremony of the Election Machinery Justice DUN Gurun, this afternoon.Earlier in January, Rafizi noted that PAS achieved its biggest-ever victory in the general elections because of its racist rhetoric and by hosting lavish dinners.He pointed out that money politics and the oft-repeated rhetoric that “the non-Malays will take over the country”, were the main reasons for the Islamic party’s big win in GE15, not the influence of TikTok videos.In the run-up to the state polls however, he advised the people to choose candidates who highlight brilliant ideas to improve their daily lives, not those who come with fatwas or reckless communal sentiments.He cited a command from the PAS leadership to voters that says it is mandatory by law to come to vote in PAS-held states.Ironically, he said, the PAS tells voters it is not mandatory to return to the state to visit sick parents.Yesterday (July 7), the PAS Twitter page called PAS Pusat took a jibe at Rafizi for saying data and facts are important to consider in the upcoming state polls.The Twitter account, in reply to Rafizi tweeted:

“Rafizi told us to speak based on data. So, this is the total number of votes obtained by PN, PH, BN during the last GE15.“If the total votes of PH and BN in each state are combined, the fact is that PH-BN is still unable to compete with the number of votes received by PN.”The tweet by the PAS Pusat is accompanied by infographics showing the number of votes obtained in the three states, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu by the PAS.Arguing over the GE15 results, the account added:”This means that even if there is a full vote change, the PH-BN coalition will still not be able to capture Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu.But maybe the gap will be bigger in this PRN because many PH-BN voters are beginning to realise the fraud perpetrated by the leaders.”

 “This means that even if there is a full vote change, the PH-BN coalition will still not be able to capture Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu.But maybe the gap will be bigger in this PRN because many PH-BN voters are beginning to realise the fraud perpetrated by the leaders.” – July 8, 2023

 

Main photo credit: Bernama

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