7 seats likely to determine Melaka polls, says NGO

 

Kuasa president Praba Ganesan says Perikatan Nasional may triumph over Umno in the Melaka state election.

KUALA LUMPUR: An NGO centred on democracy outreach says there are seven seats that will determine the outcome of the Melaka state election.

The seven are Tanjung Bidara, Asahan, Pantai Kundor, Pengkalan Batu, Lendu, Gadek and Paya Rumput.

Persatuan Kebangkitan Usaha Angkat Suara Awam (Kuasa) said that according to its analysis, there were four seats – Tanjung Bidara, Asahan, Pantai Kundor and Pengkalan Batu – where certain candidates would likely disrupt the race to their favour.

In Tanjung Bidara, it said, former Umno member Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, who is contesting under Perikatan Nasional (PN) this time around, presents a challenge to the other candidates she is up against – Barisan Nasional’s Ab Rauf Yusof and Pakatan Harapan’s Zainal Hassan.

“She has quickly established herself inside Bersatu, is now a division chief, and her credential as a former Puteri Umno chief makes her appeal broad,” Kuasa president Praba Ganesan said at a press conference this morning.

For the Asahan seat, he named former Melaka chief minister Idris Haron, who is involved in a six-cornered fight.

For Pantai Kundor, Praba named Nor Azman Hassan, who was sacked by Umno last month and is contesting under PH.

“However, Kuasa is unsure how much of Umno’s voter base he would retain and how much he can gain from PH’s base,” he said.

He said Norhizam Hassan Baktee had a good chance of re-election in Pengkalan Batu. Norhizam is running as an independent, after being elected on a PH ticket in 2018 as a DAP member.

These four seats, and the contests in Lendu, Gadek and Paya Rumput, would likely decide the incoming state government, he said.

Praba also said that Perikatan Nasional, represented by Bersatu and PAS, may triumph over Umno in the election.

“There is no major infighting in the coalition and there is no uncertainty over leadership,” he said. “However, for Umno, its president is too distracted with his own political survival and has a poor working relationship with his deputy, Mohamad Hasan.

“Both the PH and Umno-led governments have fallen in the last three years and the voters may give PN a chance this time.”

At the event, Kuasa also launched its One-Stop Candidate Overview site and Melaka Election Analysis webpage on its website.

Kuasa’s webpage, accessible to the public since yesterday, contains information about the election, the candidates, their promotional material such as videos and other related contents. The webpage also contains the election analysis.

“The page is important to ensure Melaka voters have more than just basic information about the candidates and helps them make an informed decision on who to vote for,” Praba said.

The public may visit the webpage here.

-FMT