Najib’s absence, dropping of warlords will cost BN, says think tank

 

Ilham Centre said Barisan Nasional lost its momentum after it announced its candidates.

PETALING JAYA: A think tank has cited former prime minister Najib Razak’s absence and Barisan Nasional’s decision to drop a number of warlords as reasons why the coalition has lost the advantage it had going into the general election (GE15).

Ilham Centre said when Parliament was dissolved, BN’s rivals were disorganised and unprepared but the coalition failed to take advantage of the situation.

“Everything changed after the candidates were announced,” it said in a statement, adding BN was seen to be disunited, which made them unconvincing to voters.

It said the dropping of big names worsened the situation for BN when some of them like former Arau MP Shahidan Kassim and former Maran MP Ismail Abd Muttalib decided to contest under a Perikatan Nasional (PN) ticket.

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“MIC’s absence from the event to announce BN’s candidates also raised questions.

“The strategy to field 80% new candidates also backfired on Umno,” it said, adding this drew a reaction from senior grassroots leaders who had been working hard to position themselves as candidates.

It said the party’s “housekeeping” had resulted in a backlash from those who were not picked as candidates and this affected election preparations.

Another factor which affected BN was attacks against its chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi by some Umno leaders.

The speculation that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob may not be reappointed to the position had also affected BN’s chances of attracting fence-sitters, according to Ilham Centre.

“Najib’s absence as the icon of BN’s revival to unite the party elites and his ‘Bossku’ influence also meant BN lost the ability to attract fence-sitters and new voters.”

As a result, Ilham Centre said this affected the BN machinery’s morale.

However, it added that the support from among the Malays gave it an advantage in Malay-majority seats.

BN, it said, held strong in Malay areas but Zahid’s leadership was a liability and has failed to boost support for the coalition.

Ilham Centre said Zahid also failed to fill the void left by Najib and play the role the former Pekan MP played in previous by-elections and state elections. - FMT