WHILE the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) has expressed confidence that Perikatan Nasional (PN) would be able to win in Selangor in the upcoming state polls, political analysts are predicting that the state will remain under the control of the Pakatan Harapan (PH).
On Jan 16, Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Ahmad Yunus Hairi said he believed PN had a good chance of seizing the state, citing what he calls the “lies and false promises” of the PH in running the state.
However, according to Dr Awang Azman Pawi from the University of Malaya, PH will not only maintain its grip over the state, but it will also result in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) winning more seats than in the last election.
In a report in Suara Keadilan, Dr Awang said it is not only the performance of the state government that will weigh in the balance, it is also the rise of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister of Malaysia that will also contribute to the strength of the PKR and the PH in the upcoming state polls.
He added that Anwar as PM will contribute to winning the hearts of voters this time.
On the other hand, a possible alliance between the PH and the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the state polls could pull even more votes, though there might be concerns over the seats held by BN.
According to Dr Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, PN has a better chance of capturing seats held by BN in the state. He said BN is now at its weakest in its history, with divisions between factions demanding a change in leadership.
Moreover, what happened recently in the UMNO General Assembly could be a precursor for the PN to wrestle some of the BN-held seats, but those will not be sufficient for PN to overthrow the government run by PH.
He says if PH and BN work well together in seat distribution, they have a better chance to beat PN. — Jan 21, 2023
Main photo credit: CNA
