LEFT WITH NO OTHER WAY TO BLOCK ANWAR, CHURLISH CRITICS NOW CLAIM ‘REDUCED MAJORITY’ A SIGN THE PEOPLE DON’T WANT ANWAR AS PM: YET A WIN IS A WIN, BIG MAJORITY JUST ICING ON THE CAKE

PORT DICKSON – The Port Dickson by-election is turning out to be a one-horse race, unsurprisingly, with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the overwhelming favourite to bag the bragging rights as its MP.

Yet, just a day ahead of polling, a bigger problem looms for the PKR president-elect and prime minister-in-waiting — the possibility of a much reduced majority compared to his predecessor.

So much so has been the case that in most, if not all, of their ceramah, Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders including the man himself, have been pleading to outstation voters to return home to vote.

Port Dickson has close to 15% registered voters staying outside the constituency, and if the recent 63% turnout during the early voting was to be any indication, it is that Anwar could use every single possible vote on Oct 13.

“It is most important that Anwar gain as big a majority as possible to enhance his political legitimacy. It would be a big slap to his face if it is much reduced, because it will just show Anwar is not as popular,” political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Jeniri Amir told theSun.

PKR’s Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah had won the Port Dickson seat in the 14th General Election (GE14) with a majority of 17,710 (29% of votes cast) before vacating it.

And for a person who is set to replace Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the next prime minister, it would be a telling blow if Anwar fails to obtain more than the 29%, especially in a by-election that lacked a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate.

To put it in comparison, Anwar had won all the elections he contested in Permatang Pauh (which he was the MP previously) with an average majority of 44%.

In fact, in a survey by the Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) released yesterday, it found that Anwar was the overwhelming favourite, obtaining about 74% of the support.

But all this would mean nothing if he fails to convince outside voters to return and for Port Dickson residents to come out and vote to help boost his majority.

Another segment of voters that is proving an obstacle are the Malays, which is why it came as no surprise that Anwar has ramped up his visits to Malay localities in recent days.

Anwar is almost certain to have most of the Chinese and Indian votes in his pocket, but his biggest task now would be to woo the Malays, who make up 43% of the voters here.

These votes are set to be split among him, PAS’ Lt Col (B) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar and independent Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad, with votes from Umno supporters to either go to Mohd Isa or in the basket, according to IDE deputy chairman Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Redzuan Othman.

The sentiment on the ground is that the prospect of having the future prime minister as their MP is too strong a pull for voters in Port Dickson.

But as it stands, the huge majority that PH is banking on lies with the outstation voters and the Malays.

And as much as PH would dismiss it, this by-election – and Anwar’s majority – would be a great indication of his endorsement as Malaysia’s eighth prime minister.

– NST