Azmin, Radzi seen as PN’s candidates for Selangor MB

 

Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan believes Azmin Ali (left) has the edge over Radzi Jidin since he helmed the Selangor menteri besar’s post from 2014 to 2018.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts see former ministers Azmin Ali and Radzi Jidin as Perikatan Nasional’s main candidates for the Selangor menteri besar’s post if the coalition wins in the state’s upcoming election.

Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan believed Azmin had the edge over Radzi since he helmed the post from 2014 to 2018.

However, there are concerns the former PKR deputy president could face another defeat in the polls, after losing his Gombak parliamentary seat in the 15th general election (GE15).

If that were to happen again, Azmi believed that Radzi would be PN’s backup plan, citing his experience as a minister and his GE15 victory where he wrested the Putrajaya seat from Umno heavyweight Tengku Adnan Mansor.

“Now it depends on where Azmin contests. A win is not guaranteed. That’s why Radzi and (Selangor Bersatu chief) Abdul Rashid Asari are next in line if Azmin loses,” he told FMT.

Azmin is a Bersatu Supreme Council member and the PN information chief, while Radzi is a Bersatu vice-president.

Azmin, Radzi and Rashid have been named as Bersatu’s coordinators for the Selangor election. Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said the party would take the menteri besar’s post in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan if PN wins the states.

Azmi said Muhyiddin seemed confident of PN wresting Selangor from Pakatan Harapan, but he felt the court cases involving the PN chairman and other Bersatu leaders would be a major obstacle.

He said the “green wave” of support for PN, particularly PAS, in GE15 did not really occur on the west coast of the peninsula, including Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia also believed Azmin was set to be PN’s menteri besar candidate, but said the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman will need to be fielded in a safer seat for the state election.

“If Muhyiddin feels the Bukit Antarabangsa seat is problematic based on the GE15 results, he could move Azmin to a more winnable seat. But there will be a tough fight in Selangor, so there needs to be ‘Plan B’ and even ‘Plan C’ if the menteri besar candidate loses,” he said.

Azmin’s Bukit Antarabangsa state seat is in the Ampang parliamentary constituency, where PH’s Rodziah Ismail defeated Zuraida Kamaruddin and eight others with a majority of 29,681 votes in GE15.

Azmin lost his Gombak parliamentary seat to current Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari in GE15, with Amirudin winning by 12,729 votes. - FMT