Batu Tiga folk say parachute candidate Rina faces uphill battle

 

Some Batu Tiga residents said Perikatan Nasional’s Rina Harun should try to win over the fence-sitters. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Bersatu’s Rina Harun may be a big name with ministerial experience, but Batu Tiga residents say they don’t know her well enough to cast their ballots in her favour.

A resident, who wanted to be known only as Abdul Rahman, was surprised that the 50-year-old Wanita Bersatu chief was named as a candidate for the Selangor state seat.

“It’s an uphill battle for her here as this is a Pakatan Harapan (PH) stronghold,” he said, adding that Perikatan Nasional (PN) had not gained traction in the constituency.

Another resident, Jamaluddin Idris, 58, said Rina might have a chance if she targeted dissatisfied and undecided voters.

“She has to work harder to win over the voters, especially those who are frustrated over the fact that Rodziah Ismail, who has a proven track record, is not defending her seat here,” he said.

PKR’s Rodziah is a three-term Batu Tiga assemblyman who decided to make way for new blood in the Aug 12 state elections. In her place, PH has named Amanah Youth chief Danial Al Rashid Haron Aminar Rashid as the candidate.

Jamaluddin said Rina could also target Umno supporters who were disappointed that a candidate from their party was not selected to stand in Batu Tiga.

Meanwhile, Nabawi Ibrahim said PN would have stood a better chance if it had not parachuted in an outsider like Rina, adding that she had a daunting task to convince residents to vote for her this Saturday.

“She is a stranger here, so she has to work much harder than other candidates.

“It is not enough for her to go to places like the night market. She also has to go door-to-door at the residential areas and greet the locals,” said the man in his 50s.

In a recent interview with FMT, Rina said she was confident of her chances based on the PN manifesto for Selangor, which included expanding the Skim Peduli Sihat and Skim Perlindungan Perubatan to households earning RM5,000 or less.

The former Puteri Umno leader quit the party and joined Bersatu in 2016.

As Wanita Bersatu chief, she won the Titiwangsa parliamentary seat in the 2018 general election (GE14) on a PH ticket. However, she decided not to defend the seat in GE15 last year.

Instead, she opted to be the PN candidate for the Sepang parliamentary seat, where she lost to Aiman Athirah Sabu of PH-Amanah. - FMT