PAS’s ‘vote in Selangor’ campaign won’t work, say analysts

 

PAS holds 10 seats in the 56-member Selangor state assembly. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Two political analysts have dismissed as pointless a PAS campaign calling for voters in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah who are based in Selangor to help the party take over the state.

The analysts said that, even if it gained traction, the initiative was unlikely to succeed.

Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan said the Islamic party appears confident about its ability to retain the three northern states even without the support of out-of-town voters.

Azmi Hassan.

Azmi acknowledged that Perikatan Nasional could have wrested Selangor from the unity government’s grasp in the 2023 state polls with stronger support in several seats where the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional alliance won by majorities of less than 5,000 votes.

This included seats like Taman Templer (467-vote majority), Sungai Air Tawar (846), Sungai Pelek (1,458), Meru (3,422) and Sekinchan (4,018).

The PH-BN Selangor government currently has 35 seats in the 56-member Selangor assembly, while PN holds the remaining 21, 10 of which belong to PAS.

PN would have had the simple majority needed to form the state administration had it won eight additional seats.

“PAS sees Selangor as its best bet, rather than Pahang or Perak. So that’s the reason why the party has launched this particular campaign,” Azmi told FMT.

However, he said a major flaw in PAS’s plan was that voters from Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah now living in Selangor likely reside and work in urban areas, where PH remains strong.

On the other hand, most of the seats that PH and BN won with slim majorities in the last state election were located in the Malay heartlands in northern Selangor or city outskirts.

Azmi believes most voters will continue to cast their ballots in their home states.

“They are very parochial when it comes to these matters, so I don’t think this strategy will work. But PH would want to take note of the campaign and observe any patterns in voter address changes,” said Azmi.

Last week, Selangor PAS commissioner Ab Halim Tamuri reportedly called on PAS supporters from Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah living in Selangor to take the necessary steps to vote in the state.

The Paya Jaras assemblyman said this would help PN wrest control of Selangor from PH in the next state election.

Selangor PAS also published several postings on its Facebook page, outlining the procedure involved.

Mazlan Ali.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali also expects this campaign to be largely unsuccessful, saying only hardcore PAS supporters would follow through and change their voting addresses.

“There is a possibility a few will follow their leaders’ orders, but not everyone from these states will do so. A big chunk of them will still vote in their respective hometowns,” he said.

Mazlan said this was due to strong sentimental ties they have with their home states, the cultural tradition of returning home for elections, and the bureaucratic process of changing one’s voting address.

“Those who hail from the east coast often have a strong attachment to their hometown. They love their hometowns and want to continue voting there. - FMT