Suhaizan confident of ending losing streak, but worries about majority

JOHOR BY-ELECTIONS | Johor Amanah deputy chairperson Suhaizan Kaiat is no stranger to riding the waves of politics.

He has lost six election campaigns previously - mostly as a PAS candidate prior to 2018 - and is now in his seventh attempt to finally win a seat.

While previous elections saw Suhaizan contesting as part of the federal opposition, this time, the 50-year-old has the weight of Putrajaya behind him as he seeks to defend the Pulai parliamentary seat.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Suhaizan appears confident of his chances to defend the seat - which was won by his former boss, the late Salahuddin Ayub, twice previously.

However, he was less confident in his prospects of winning with a high majority against Perikatan Nasional’s Zulkifli Jaafar and independent candidate Samsudin Mohd Fauzi.

“We are confident, InsyaAllah we can win. But the issue is the majority. Our intention is to get a convincing majority.

“To win is not an issue. But to get a convincing majority, that is a challenge,” said Suhaizan during the interview held at Pulai Amanah’s office.

An overview of GE15 results revealed Harapan earned the highest share of non-Malay votes, while a bulk of the Malay votes had gone to Johor BN deputy chief Nur Jazlan Mohamed as Salahuddin's then opponent.

In theory, the Harapan and BN alliance - which is being tested for the first time in Johor - could gain over 80 percent of votes from 166,563 registered voters, according to Election Commission statistics.

However, there are various underlying factors that could affect voter turnout, including attempts by PN to woo Malay voters by targeting Amanah’s Harapan ally, DAP, as an alleged threat to Malay-Muslims.

PN had claimed its rising Malay support shown in the recent six state elections will spill over to Johor, but Suhaizan insisted the touted “Green Wave” will not enter the state.

‘Come out and vote’

Suhaizan, a former PAS Youth chief, said Johoreans value moderation and so will reject PN’s “extreme” approach towards Islam, as well as a tendency to label its opponents as infidels.

In various functions targeted at non-Malay voters, Suhaizan and others on his campaign trail stressed the significance of their votes, given how by-elections were often viewed as less important and resulted in a lower voter turnout.

“For those who felt burdened because they have voted twice (in the Johor state elections and GE15), we urge them to think of the long-term impact if they do not vote.

“The (federal) government may be accused of not receiving support from Johor. We urge voters to come out and vote. 

“Because we are worried if we win without a convincing majority, it will open up room for the opposition to play up the issue that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the unity government are not getting support,” said Suhaizan.

“And they will play up issues of stability, attempt to topple the government,” he added.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang at a press conference in Pulai earlier this week claimed that a strong showing by PN in the Pulai by-election could trigger a change in the federal government.

While PN focuses on Malay votes, Harapan and Suhaizan are striving to cover all their bases.

In the first week of campaigning, a number of functions in Chinese-majority areas were led by the DAP under Perling assemblyperson Liew Chin Tong. 

Suhaizan also enlisted a popular “voice” among Indians in Johor, retired Johor.fm announcer A Madhavan, better known as Deejay Dave.

New team, new dynamics

Meanwhile, the Pulai Amanah chief turned to new allies from Umno, led by Nur Jazlan as Umno Pulai chief, to convince BN’s supporters to support Harapan.

He, however, remained coy when quizzed on Amanah’s actual strength, stating that Harapan still won the seat in GE15 regardless.

“When we meet with Umno (in Kempas), there is no need for all of Amanah’s machinery to go there, right?

“Like in Perling, when all (machinery) are wearing Harapan (logo), how do you identify Amanah?” said Suhaizan.

In his meetings with local Umno branches, Suhaizan said he was accompanied by Kempas assemblyperson Ramlee Bohanee.

Suhaizan said his experience as a one-term Johor state assembly speaker, presiding over an Umno-led government under former menteri besar Hasni Mohammad, was used to illustrate ties between Harapan and BN even prior to its current alliance.

“So, in Kempas mostly, Ramlee will take me to meet with Umno branches. In Perling, Liew took us to the areas of public focus.

“That is the arrangement that we use,” said Suhaizan when asked about cooperation between Harapan and BN’s machinery.

On Tuesday, day three of campaigning, Suhaizan also received the full support of Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who pledged the full strength of his machinery to trigger a “blue and red wave” against extremist politics.

Suhaizan last served as political secretary to the late Salahuddin and his role included overseeing issues faced by Pulai voters.

Throughout his campaign trail, Suhaizan and other Harapan leaders would often start with reminders of Salahuddin’s contributions, including his Rahmah initiatives to offer lower prices of goods and services.

Aside from continuing Salahuddin’s legacy, Suhaizan said his personal vision for Pulai includes creating a livable and inclusive urban environment, starting with a blueprint on housing issues that consolidates the synergy of tasks, roles, and implementation at the federal, state, and local authority levels.

This was on top of addressing issues brought to his attention, including requests for a Tamil school in Kempas, and other basic infrastructures.

The Election Commission has set Sept 9 as polling day for both the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections, with early voting on Sept 5. - Mkini