Choose your fighter: The gladiators on GE15’s battleground

 

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is perhaps the party leader with the most turbulent political career in modern Malaysia. 

With a history of power, prison and politics, he may be about to face one of the most challenging elections of his political career when the 15th general election takes place.

Video: Anwar should focus on policy, and stop looking for Umno MPs to defect - Chin Huat

Love him or hate him, Anwar has a lot to worry about. The Sheraton Move that was triggered by rogue PKR members defecting to Bersatu which broke away from Pakatan Harapan dealt a scathing blow to his political career.

Now, political analyst Wong Chin Huat believes that Anwar needs to focus more on policy, especially concerning the reputation Pakatan Harapan has when it comes to their promises due to the way they handled their manifesto after winning the election in 2018.

Video: Chin Huat: New leadership will be the best scenario for Umno

Meanwhile in Umno, the titans that once stood strong in the government are now feeling the heat. Stuck in a stalemate where they are part of the government they will stop supporting once the elections come, there are those who stand to lose when the current Parliament is dissolved.

Umno also had divisions that were described by some as clusters. 

The "cabinet cluster" comprises those who currently hold positions in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, the "court cluster" are those leaders in Umno including its party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who have ongoing court cases, and the "residual cluster" comprising leaders who are not part of these two groupings.

Video: The rise of right-wing conservative leaders would be the worst scenario - Chin Huat

If the leaders who currently hog our headlines fail to inspire hope in Malaysians, Wong fears that a third option may not be a healthy one, especially if a populist leader is able to rouse the support of the rakyat through other means.

While it is not clear when the 15th general election will be called (and it could be later this year), it is inching closer with every passing day and the pressure is mounting on political parties to inspire the rakyat with a manifesto that will address the issues at hand.

This is the first time Malaysia will enter an election where the status quo is unlike any that the country has ever had - and where the status quo may not even be an option at the polling booth given Umno’s decision to terminate their cooperation with Bersatu as soon as the election is called.

Political leaders have the uphill task at hand not just to woo voters with policy planning and a practical manifesto but to also convince voters that their leadership is worth their time in the polling booth. - Mkini