Are turncoats winnable candidates?

They may be BN-friendly but there is a strong feeling on the ground that those who have jumped ship may not be the best bet for BN in the coming general election.

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The Barisan Nasional (BN), particularly Umno, is expected to face problems fielding “winnable” candidates in seats now held by those who had “jumped ship” and are recognised as “BN-friendly caucus”.

Already, BN is finding it difficult to get many incumbent assemblymen and MPs to step down and allow fresh young faces to contest. Now, it encounters a new problem in seats held by the “party hoppers”.

Top on the list is Zahrain Mohd Hashim, a no push-over, whose popularity is on the rise with the coming general election. The Bayan Baru MP is sought for his views on anything regarding his former boss Anwar Ibrahim.

Joining him is Zulkifli Nordin, whose views are also sought on the same subject. The Kulim-Bandar Baru MP is outspoken when it comes to hitting out at his former party – PKR.

Latest to join the stable is Dr Hasan Ali, who “roams” nightly criticising PAS, the party he had placed so much hope to push for his Islamic agenda.

The list continues with names such as Ezam Mohd Nor and several others who had become “turncoats” and found new platforms to continue pursuing their political ambitions.

These people are brave and outspoken in their assaults on Anwar and their former parties, revealing insights that the public had not known before.

They are sought after by the press for any comments that can “dent or create doubts” on their former bosses and parties.

New faces

Umno members in particular, who have been struggling with past party leaders and current incumbent leaders, and who are hoping to be picked as assemblymen and MPs, are now “in a fix”.

With new popular faces on board, not as party members but as “BN-friendly” partners, veteran Umno members are wondering how party president and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would handle the situation.

Najib had announced that only winnable candidates would be fielded but the term “winnable” to party members is loose and not specific.

A division head from Selangor asked: “How does one rate someone as winnable, and are those assemblymen and MPs who jumped ship winnables?”

“Will Najib field them as BN candidates or BN-friendly Independent candidates in the coming election?” he asked, adding that he himself felt he was still a winnable candidate despite losing in 2008 under the onslaught of the political tsunami.

So, resentment on the ground is real as these party members ponder on their positions as well as the positions of those who had “jumped ship” and are now “media celebrities”. Besides, these people seemed to have no financial problem.

‘Star’ treatment

The way the party hoppers carry themselves and their “star” treatment by Umno headquarters have been the envy of many Umno grassroots members, even the ones holding posts in Umno divisions. There is indeed a sense of deep dissatisfaction.

But how effective are their attacks on their former party leaders have yet to be tested. In the meantime, many Umno members said that nothing much had changed on the ground except for Najib’s own visits and meet-the-people sessions.

“I have attended many ceramah of these party hoppers but the crowds were mostly Umno members, and not the opposition members whom Umno and BN wanted to influence,” said Ramli Idrus, a veteran Kedah Umno member who is a secretary of a division.

“I do not know what plans party president Najib and his deputy (Muhyiddin Yassin) have for them (BN-friendly members), but I think fielding them again would not benefit BN. This is simply because members in that particular Umno divisions where they are fielded may not vote for them.

“After all, the feeling on the ground is not for them but mostly against them,” he said.

With the general election nearing, probably a few more months from now, incumbent assemblymen and MPs are working doubly hard to ensure they are perceived as winnable candidates.