AMID COMPARISONS WITH PM-TO-BE ANWAR – SUDDENLY MAT HASAN SAYS HE MAY DUMP RANTAU, GO FOR PARLIAMENT SEAT IN GE15 : WHY SHOULD RANTAU FOLK VOTE FOR HIM THEN WHEN HE CAN’T DO ANYTHING FOR THEM NOW – OR AFTER GE15?

SEREMBAN: Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has dropped a hint that he might be contesting for a Parliamentary seat in 15th General Election (GE15).

Mohamad, who has been contesting in Rantau state constituency for the past 15 years, said such would be his next focus in the next election.

“Maybe I won’t contest in Rantau anymore, maybe I’ll go for a parliament seat.

“Or maybe I can contest for both… (after all) how can I leave my old ‘girlfriend’ (Rantau) when I get a new one,” he said jokingly in front of more than 500 guests who attended his ceramah at Felda Sendayan here, last night.

Mohamad, Barisan Nasional’s candidate in Rantau by-election to be held on April 13, had previously denied rumours of contesting for a parliamentary seat, with the latest just before GE14.

He was speculated to contest in Rembau parliamentary seat which is held by then Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin since 2008.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said he is confident that the cooperation between Umno and Pas would secure at least 75 per cent of Malay votes in the country.

“Based on the GE14 records, Umno and Pas managed to gain 48 and 27 per cent of votes among the Malay community respectively.

“I am sure if we manage to maintain our cooperation, we will be able to get the supports and win big in GE15.” – NST

Rantau by-election: Litmus test for Anwar

SEREMBAN: With 10 days to go before polling day, the Rantau by-election is shaping up to be a battle between two political heavyweights — Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of Pakatan Harapan.

PKR’s Dr S. Streram may be contesting under the PH ticket, but it is clear that it is Anwar, not Dr Streram, who Mohamad has to be wary of.

The Anwar factor is playing an increasingly important role in this polls, which neither the BN deputy chairman nor the PKR president could afford to lose.

Dr Streram’s hustings, or ceramah kelompok as the PH election machinery calls them, had been low-key affairs that attract small groups of constituents.

But Anwar, who hit the campaign trail and stumped on behalf of Dr Streram for the first time on Tuesday, held three ceramah in one night and drew larger crowds of between 300 and 400 people.

In all three ceramah, Anwar spent a substantial amount of time explaining why he fielded Dr Streram, instead of a Malay, in the by-election, which is being held in a Malay-majority seat.

Dr Streram’s candidacy had not been well received by certain factions in PKR, who attributed BN’s recent electoral victories to Umno’s cooperation with Pas and the proliferation of Malay-Muslim sentiments.

Anwar went to great lengths to put his Malay audience at ease by promoting Dr Streram’s humanitarian work in war-torn Muslim countries, like Sudan and Afghanistan.

But Dr Streram’s volunteerism will unlikely have any pull with the voters, who are mostly estate workers, working odd jobs and running small businesses. To them, it is bread-and-butter issues and the rising cost of living that matter the most.

In Rantau, Malays comprise 55.11 per cent, or 11,283 voters, Indians (5,336 voters) make up 26 per cent, Chinese (3,849 voters) make up 18.8 per cent and the remainder is made up of other races.

Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional flags lined up along the main road in Rantau. -NSTP/SAIFULLIZAN TAMADI

The fact that Anwar is Port Dickson member of parliament explains his strong presence in Rantau, which is adjacent to his parliamentary constituency.

He went as far as promising that development projects in Port Dickson would have a spillover effect in Rantau, especially if Dr Streram won the polls.

“This is not a conditional promise. But I hope Dr Streram wins because at least I have someone I can work with,” Anwar said during a ceramah in Taman Sri Ramai here.

PKR has won three by-elections it contested since the 14th General Election (Seri Setia, Sungai Kandis and Port Dickson), but this is the party’s first by-election with Anwar at the helm.

PH, however, lost the last two polls in Cameron Highlands and Semenyih, and Anwar is facing mounting pressure not only to secure a win for the pact, but also break BN’s momentum from notching up a third win in a row.

“This will be Anwar’s first real test as the president of PKR. Mohamad is widely admired and hopes are pinned on him to rebuild Umno and BN in the aftermath of the 14th General Election,” said political analyst Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia.

A win against the acting Umno president, said Sivamurugan, would elevate Dr Streram’s status as a giant killer and give credence to Anwar’s legitimacy as the prime minister-in-waiting.

“This is a clash between the prospective eighth prime minister and BN’s potential prime minister-designate. As Anwar’s nemesis, Mohamad may use the result of this election as a yardstick to determine whether it’s viable to aim for the premiership,” he added.

The by-election is no longer simply a contest between BN and PH. Rather, it is a clash between two powerhouses, between two household personalities whose brands transcend party lines.

The by-election sees a four-cornered fight between Dr Streram, Mohamad and two independents, R. Malarvizhi and Mohd Nor Yassin. – NST

NST