UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia’s Prof Dr Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said it is not impossible for Perikatan Nasional (PN) to acquire 80% of the votes in the upcoming state elections as Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s image is being tainted by its association with UMNO.
As such, while Anwar’s popularity among Malay voters steadily improving, his image is still being dragged down by his coalition members.
“Anwar has charisma and a track record of integrity, but the same can’t be said of his colleagues in the unity government, especially those from UMNO,” Fauzi was quoted as saying by FMT.
“It’s not unreasonable, but PN must be wary of the government improving its standing, albeit very slowly. It is not quick enough to make an impact on the state elections, but the real battle is the next general election,” Fauzi said.
Fauzi said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s claim that the coalition might secure up to 80% of the state votes, especially among Malays, was possible.
The Pagoh MP had previously pointed out a PN study suggesting that the coalition’s members, such as PAS, Bersatu and Gerakan are well-led and gaining more popularity than their political rivals.
With PN’s past successes in Kelantan and Terengganu, where the opposition swept through basically the whole state in the 15th General Election (GE15), political scientist University of Tasmania’s Prof James Chin feels Muhyiddin’s optimism is well-founded.
“So, if the coalition can maintain that target or maintain the vote, it shouldn’t have any problems. There is going to be a landslide victory in Kelantan and Terengganu,” Chin was quoted as saying by the news portal.
“In Penang and Selangor, PN has a lot of catching up to do, and due to PH’s large majorities, I doubt very much that PN can capture these states unless something happens during the campaign,” he remarked, adding that PN’s chances in Kedah and Negri Sembilan are 50-50 but it was too early to say because both parties were still campaigning.
Chin said the opposition would bring up two big issues during the election campaign – the controversy over non-Muslims using the word “Allah”, and approval for the British rock band Coldplay’s concert.
“These two issues are easily manipulated because all you have to do is say that Islam is marginalised. You don’t have to give any reasons, you just blame it on the government, and, of course, the government is PH and UMNO, so it’s something that is easily done,” Chin said.
Chin added that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Malay Proclamation would have no impact on Anwar because Dr Mahathir’s reputation among Malays had already been sullied. – May 23, 2023
