PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim’s greatest challenge in the coming state elections is to increase the coalition’s support among the Malay electorate, Khairy Jamaluddin said.
In an article published on Fulcrum – a website linked to a Singapore-based think tank – Khairy said as it stood, it would be impossible for PH to win in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.
He said PH only managed to secure 15% of the Malay votes in these Malay-majority states in the last general election.
Anwar would also have to keep an eye on the coalition’s strongholds, especially Selangor, the former Umno Youth chief said.
However, he said wresting Selangor and Negeri Sembilan from PH would be an uphill task for Perikatan Nasional based on the results of the 15th general election. PN had identified these two states as key battlegrounds.
Khairy also said PN had “borrowed a leaf from Anwar’s playbook” during his years in the opposition by banking on populist campaigning.
“Without the need to carry the hard realities of being in government, it is championing populist causes such as pushing for Malaysians to be allowed to make withdrawals from their pension accounts,” he said in the analysis piece for Singapore’s ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
Meanwhile, Anwar had to “navigate through” the state elections with a “deadweight” in the form of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Khairy said.
Khairy, who has become a staunch critic of Zahid following his sacking from the party early this year, ticked off his former boss for purging Umno of his critics and rewarding his supporters with senior-level board appointments in statutory bodies and GLCs.
“Anwar’s political capital is taking a hit, given Zahid’s controversial reputation and the impression that he is rewarding his supporters and cronies unchecked.
“Of greater concern to Anwar is if Umno becomes an electoral liability during the state elections.” - FMT
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