The one-eyed jack, Sanusi

 

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor is a one-eyed jack: he sees things to the ruthless exclusion of nuances.

He can use state government resources to campaign for political advantage, as he did on April 17 when hosting two student groups for dinner at his residence.

However, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim shapes to use federal resources to host Open Houses for Hari Raya in six states, that’s blatant electioneering, in Sanusi’s view.

Two years ago, Sanusi (above) declined to grant a state holiday for Thaipusam but a year later, in 2022, when the national polls were looming, he reverted to declaring that festival a holiday, to entice voters ahead of the vote.

In other words, it’s kosher when I do it but not when my opponent does so.

Sanusi is stoutly partisan at all times

True, it is very difficult to find “two-eyed” politicos these days, the ones that can survey the horizon of circumstance without excessive focus on their standpoint in the midst.

Glad should we be that these are not rabidly partisan times when partisanship would understandably be the order of the day. However, Sanusi finds no problem in being stoutly partisan at all times.

He is the type of political leader who sees the presence of opposition to his party’s or coalition’s rule in Kedah as a provocation, rather like the sight of a red bandana in the arena is to a bull.

The Muda River divides Penang (right) and Kedah (left)

Whether it is about Kedah’s rights for what flows in the Muda River to the exclusion of neighbouring Penang’s claims, Sanusi has no qualms about dispensing with the broad survey for the parochialism of his focus on his state’s rights, to the exclusion of all else.

Witness his spat with the federal government over the issue of building an airport in Kulim and how he tried to wrap up the issue as a fait accompli when it turned out that even elementary preliminaries like submission of plans, costings and finances were up in the air rather than down pat.

At times, Sanusi is like a magician who’s come to play conjuring tricks at a children’s party, save that an electorate, even one like Kedah’s that in large part is composed of rather simple rural folk, cannot be easily gulled.

He is certainly the most high-profile state CEO in the country, not from public accomplishments but more from a penchant for controversy and skirmishes with detractors who don’t like his outspokenness and ideological rigidity of his party, PAS.

The fact that his fellow menteris besar in Kelantan and Terengganu are bland, even insipid politicos, makes Sanusi look like a square peg in a round hole.

One suspects an apparent relish in the man for the colourful contrast he strikes compared to his two counterparts: In a party of dour and impassive clerics, Sanusi is a smiling, albeit, belligerent presence.

He allowed himself a touch of triumphalism when he said, on the morrow of Perikatan Nasional’s near sweep of parliamentary seats at GE15, that had there been a state poll in addition to the parliamentary one, the outcome would have been a 36-0 sweep for PN of the state wards.

For one outwardly disposed towards optimism, Sanusi seems fretful about Anwar’s move to hold the first of his Raya Open Houses in Alor Setar tomorrow (Saturday, April 29).

Could it be that Sanusi’s bravado is a veneer masking apprehension over the PM’s vaunted ability for drawing support from ordinary people susceptible to the charms of a populist leader?

It will not be long before we will know.

Word has it that all six states – Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan – will dissolve their state assemblies in mid-June for polls a month later. - Mkini

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TERENCE NETTO is a journalist with half a century’s experience.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.