‘Presentable’ Samsuri seen as key to wooing non-Malays for PAS

 

The Dewan Rakyat will serve as a platform for newly elected Kemaman MP Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar to become better known, especially to people outside Terengganu, says analyst Azmil Tayeb. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Newly elected Kemaman MP Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is capable of reshaping PAS’s perception among non-Malays, says a political analyst.

Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia said Samsuri, who is the Terengganu menteri besar, “completely defies the stereotype of PAS leaders” and could potentially be a prime minister candidate from the party.

“He is more presentable and avoids controversy compared to other PAS leaders. You don’t see him making outrageous statements like (Kedah menteri besar) Sanusi Nor or even (PAS president) Abdul Hadi Awang,” Azmil said.

He said the fact that Samsuri had studied in the UK and “presumably speaks good English” might appeal to non-Muslims.

Azmil said the Dewan Rakyat would serve as a platform for Samsuri to become better known, especially to people outside Terengganu, where he has been an assemblyman for two terms now.

Last night, Samsuri defended the Kemaman parliamentary seat for PAS as he defeated his Barisan Nasional rival, Raja Affandi Raja Noor, by 37,220 votes. He obtained 64,998 votes while Raja Affandi, a retired general and former defence forces chief, garnered 27,778 votes.

The margin is larger than the 27,179-vote majority obtained by PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid in the November 2022 general election. The victory was annulled by an election court in September over bribery claims.

Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the Kemaman result, and even those of state elections held in August, showed that the voting behaviour of Malays in Terengganu had not changed.

With the Malay community making up 98% of the state’s electorate, he said, the voters have stuck to the Malay-Muslim focused narrative. “PAS managed to expand its majority despite the lower voter turnout (of 65.76%),” Mazlan pointed out.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Umno’s heavy defeat does not signal the party’s demise, but it had its work cut out to figure out how to win back Malay voters before the next general election, which must be held by late 2025.

He said Umno’s traditional voters clearly abstained from voting or shifted their support towards Perikatan Nasional.

“Contrary to what (Umno president) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated about Kemaman not being a PAS fortress, satisfaction with PAS’s performance at the current rate is evident everywhere in Terengganu. This sentiment extends to Kedah, Kelantan and Perlis as well,” Azmi said. - FMT