Young voters can help align Kedah with Putrajaya, says Mahdzir

 

Kedah BN chief Mahdzir Khalid said Anwar Ibrahim visited universities to talk about government policy and not to fish for young voters’ support.

PETALING JAYA: Young voters in Kedah now have a chance at the coming state elections to choose a party aligned to the federal leadership, according to Barisan Nasional’s Kedah chairman Mahdzir Khalid.

He dismissed talk of younger voters being in favour of Perikatan Nasional as seen in the general election last November, Astro Awani reported.

Mahdzir said the general election could not be used as a gauge of voter sentiment at the coming elections to the state assemblies of Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

The formation of the unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim after the general election now provided an opportunity for young people, especially in Kedah, to vote for a party aligned with the federal leadership, he said after chairing a meeting of BN and Pakatan Harapan state leaders here.

PN forms the parliamentary opposition. However, PN partners PAS and Bersatu form the Kedah state government with 20 seats in the 36-member state assembly. PH (12 seats) and BN (2) form the opposition. Two seats are vacant.

Kedah PH chairman Mahfuz Omar contended that there was waning support for PN among young people. He said the state elections would provide an avenue for the young to reject PN.

He said he had seen encouraging signs of young people being in favour of PH and BN after the state assembly was dissolved. “Young people feel relieved because they now have the opportunity at the coming elections to reject PN in Kedah,” Mahfuz was quoted as saying.

On Wednesday, Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor had asserted that increasing support from younger voters in favour of PN had forced the prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, to set aside his work to visit universities for gaining the support of the young.

However, Mahdzir responded by saying the prime minister’s role went beyond that of fishing for votes. “Instead he went to talk about policy, talk about responsibilities to the country and how to build up the country,” said Mahdzir. - FMT