MALACCA POLLS | Pakatan Harapan's decision to accept two former Umno assemblypersons have caused the coalition's leadership, particularly PKR and Amanah, to come under heavy fire from both their friends and foes.
This happened as Harapan had been very vocal against party-hopping that occurred in the past, especially when the incidents were not in favour of the opposition coalition.
However, according to its Malacca chairperson Adly Zahari (above), the decision to admit Umno defectors Idris Haron and Nor Azman Hassan was not something that they did without thinking it through.
In an interview with Malaysiakini on Sunday, Adly said Harapan believed the two political heavyweights would be useful in the election and later in governing the state, should they become victorious in the Nov 20 polls.
"I cannot deny that Idris (as a former chief minister) has the experience in state administration, which I believe Malacca can benefit from. And so was the case with Nor Azman, who also has his experience and strength.
"Harapan can make use of what they have to drive Malacca forward. That is why.
"In my opinion, the most important is to see how the coalition was formed and how far its policies can be accepted by them (Idris and Nor Azman)," he added.
Adly, who is also a former Malacca chief minister, pointed out that therefore if the coalition wants to move forward, cooperation is important instead of individuals.
"This was also the basis used when we chose all 28 candidates for the state election, they come from various backgrounds and bring along their experience which can help take Malacca towards excellence," he said.
Idris became the Malacca chief minister after the 2013 general election until 2018 when BN was defeated in the 14th general election which saw him replaced by Adly.
When BN came back into power in Malacca following a political coup last year, the coalition chose Umno's Lendu assemblyperson Sulaiman Md Ali as its new chief minister instead of Idris.
Last month, Idris and Nor Azman, together with two other pro-government assemblypersons tried to stage another coup to topple Sulaiman, but it failed when the chief minister advised state governor Ali Rustam to dissolve the state assembly thus leading to the snap polls.
Following the failed attempt, Idris and Nor Azman were both sacked from Umno, before they were taken by Harapan to contest under its ticket. Idris is contesting in Asahan instead of defending his Sungai Udang seat, while Nor Azman will defend Pantai Kundor.
Asked whether they had anticipated outcries from coalition members, Adly admitted that it was not an easy decision to accept the two former Umno leaders.
However, he said, so was the case when Harapan decided to accept former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his then party Bersatu into the coalition prior to them going into GE14 together.
"Of course, seeing that we are taking new people and their background is Umno, it is not easy. When Harapan accepted Mahathir, it was also not easy then.
"But we also looked into several things that became the basis for our decision. For one, they have been kicked out from Umno, so they no longer have the party's fundamentals anymore. This is one of the things in our evaluation.
"We believe that we can work together. It would not be easy from the start, but if they can accept Harapan's culture, accept our policies, and champion good governance on top of working for the rakyat, then I believe Harapan can excel in this election."
'Harapan can still appeal to young'
The two others in Idris' quartet who caused the latest collapse of the Malacca government are Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu) and Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas).
Harapan, however, had rejected the duo as both of them used to be part of the coalition before they participated in last year's coup that caused the Adly-led state government to fall.
Only Norhizam is defending his seat, contesting as an independent candidate. He is facing Harapan's Muhamad Danish Zainudin, Perikatan Nasional's Mohd Azrudin Md Idris, BN's Kalsom Noordin, as well as two other independent candidates.
Asked if Harapan would consider taking Norhizam should he win the state seat, Adly replied: "We will discuss that when it happens".
On Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) founder Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's disappointment that Harapan chose two former Umno members to contest under its banner instead of Muda, Adly said it was "due to time constraint".
The Amanah leader added that Harapan too has its own young candidates for the state election.
"I believe our candidates also have the potential to gain the support of youth. We have five young candidates, as young as 21 years old." - Mkini
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