PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Central Leadership Council member Yahya Sahri said the wave of support for the Perikatan National (PN) will be dampened by the rise of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) wave in the states controlled by the coalition led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The PN wave hit the three states, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu in the Malay belt, giving the opposition group a large number of seats in Parliament as a result of the 15th General Election (GE15). It also gave the PN control of the state of Perlis, the first time in history that the UMNO had lost control of this state since independence.
However, PH is working round the clock to revive its popularity in Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan in particular, ahead of the much-awaited state elections that are to be held soon.
Yahya said yesterday’s (Jan 7) PH Presidential Council meeting had already decided to organise an election convention in each state starting this January to prepare the machinery at the state level.
“The response is all from the president and the leadership… there needs to research from the state level about the PN wave, especially from the Selangor Menteri Besar (MB), Negeri Sembilan MB and Penang chief minister levels.
“The Central Election Committee chaired by the Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has responded and next week Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, Penang and Terengganu will hold a state election convention of. The aim is to raise the mood, give guidance and build the narrative,” he said in a statement published on Suara Keadilan.
Yahya said this time the situation is different from GE15, and with the unity government in place and its good track record so far, there will be a shift in voting patterns.
However, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who is also the PH secretary general, said the coalition will focus on defending the 3 states of Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan in the next state election (PRN).
This was stated by Saifuddin after the PH Presidential Council meeting yesterday.
“The most important thing is the focus on defending the 3 PH-owned states in which PH’s main leadership generally has high confidence based on current reports, and the determination to send a strong opposition voice even if it does not go as far as taking over Kelantan and Terengganu.
“We (also) think that PH’s chances remain balanced in the state of Kedah. That is the focus in the PRN context,” he said.
In general, PH intends to wrest control of Kedah from PN while retaining control of Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan. — Jan 8, 2023
