Zahid’s Sanusi rebuke shows BN not ready to embrace PN, says Shahril

 The former Umno information chief says the BN chairman’s call for Sanusi Nor to stop campaigning shows the coalition is mindful of non-Malay concerns.

Shahril Hamdan said failure to see a major return of Chinese voter support to PH and DAP in Negeri Sembilan after Sanusi Nor’s remarks would be a worrying sign for the coalition.

PETALING JAYA:

Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s call for Sanusi Nor to stop campaigning in the Negeri Sembilan state election following his controversial remarks shows the coalition is not ready to fully commit to its cooperation with Perikatan Nasional, says Shahril Hamdan.

The former Umno information chief said the response from BN’s top leadership reflected the coalition’s recognition of concerns among non-Malay voters over Sanusi’s remarks.

He said BN’s cautious approach differed from the early stages of other political collaborations, which would often begin with a “honeymoon” period.

Shahril said BN’s approach could be due to its past experience working with PAS.

“Before anything has even happened, it is already clear that Zahid wants to show they are not fully ‘all-in’ with PN yet.

“Perhaps because of the experience several years ago when Umno, BN and PAS were no longer together, there is a sense of caution in not getting too excited in the early stages,” he said in the latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast.

Zahid was among those who criticised Sanusi after the Kedah menteri besar said during a ceramah that Malays only have Tanah Melayu as their homeland, while Malaysian Chinese and Indians had China and India, respectively.

He subsequently told Sanusi to focus on administering Kedah instead of continuing to campaign for BN and PN in the Negeri Sembilan polls.

Sanusi has since denied questioning the citizenship or rights of Malaysian Chinese and Indians.

Meanwhile, Shahril said PH and DAP were relying on fear of PAS and PN as their “last card” to retain support among Chinese voters.

“The message that PH and DAP have, especially to core Chinese voters, is: ‘You need to vote for us, because otherwise you will get PAS.’ That is their final argument.

“But Malaysian politics has matured. Even Chinese voters who dislike PAS no longer want DAP to use this argument. They want DAP to win their support through service, not by creating fear,” he said.

Shahril said if PH and DAP fail to regain Chinese voter support significantly in Negeri Sembilan following the Sanusi controversy, it would be a warning sign for the coalition.

“If even your last card no longer works, that is a concerning signal for PH,” he said. - FMT