PETALING JAYA: With close contests expected in a considerable number of the 222 parliamentary seats at stake, many of the parties and coalitions are working extra hard to tie up the loose ends in a bid to woo the electorate.
Both sides of the political divide are aware of the hurdles and pitfalls, and will spend the next few days customising and fine-tuning their decisions for the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15).
According to sources, the pressure is mounting and there will be political veterans who will be left out in favour of fresh faces who will better appeal to young voters.
Talk of a united front among the Opposition has all but fizzled out, and a free-for-all situation is shaping up across the bulk of the parliamentary seats.
Recent attempts to broker an electoral pact between Umno and PAS in 27 seats have failed and with the way things are going, analysts expect an intense battle between the three main coalitions of Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional.
Based on the GE14 results, these parliamentary seats are critical because if the total votes of Umno and PAS are combined, they could surpass the votes obtained by Pakatan.The seats are Kangar, Jerlun, Kubang Pasu, Pokok Sena, Kuala Kedah, Merbok, Sungai Petani, Kulim Bandar Baharu, Parit Buntar, Tambun, Lumut, Raub, Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, Temerloh, Sungai Besar, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Kapar, Kuala Langat, Titiwangsa, Kuala Pilah, Tampin, Sri Gading, Tanjung Piai, Tangga Batu and Putatan.
Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, said it is not surprising that attempts by PAS to cooperate with Barisan in these 27 seats had failed.
Universiti Teknologi Mara School of Media and Information Warfare Studies’ Dr Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin said of the 27 seats, 20 were won by Pakatan in GE14 and these would be hotly contested as some of its incumbents had jumped ship to Perikatan.
The political analyst said voters now have higher expectations and are demanding fresh ideas and input from their elected representatives.Incumbents are also being moved around as a strategic move by parties, and one should not be surprised to know of more such placements come nomination day.
The contests in Tambun and Bagan Datuk will be keenly watched. PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will lock horns with Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu in Tambun, with the former moving out from his Port Dickson seat.
The latest news is that Barisan will likely field Tambun Umno division chief Datuk Aminuddin Md Hanafiah there in Tambun.
Another seat of interest in Perak is Bagan Datuk, with Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi set to face PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin and Gerak Independent co-founder Tawfik Ismail.
In Selangor, Gombak will be a focal point of GE15 with PKR pitting Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari against his ex-mentor Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, a three-term MP there who is now with Bersatu.
Azmin, a former Selangor mentri besar, infamously led the exodus of 10 MPs out of PKR during the Sheraton Move in February 2020, contributing to the collapse of the 22-month Pakatan Harapan Federal Government then.
In Negri Sembilan, the contest in Port Dickson – the seat formerly held by Anwar – will be closely watched as PKR has chosen Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun to fill the president’s shoes.
The outcome in Gombak and Port Dickson will likely determine the political careers of both Amirudin and Aminuddin.
Pakatan is taking a gamble by fielding the two Mentris Besar in parliamentary seats, according to Azmi, who cautioned that such a move has many disadvantages.
“If they are defeated, then the states under their watch will hang in the balance because when a mentri besar loses a parliamentary contest, it carries a lot of negative weight,” he said.
Azmi said the Sungai Buloh seat will also be one to watch, with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin tipped to contest there. PKR is fielding deputy information chief Ramanan Ramakrishnan there.
“It’s a very unsafe seat, even for Khairy, so it’s interesting to see how close the contest will be,” said Azmi.
He named Bentong as another focal point, with MCA’s Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai attempting a comeback there. DAP is fielding Young Syefura Othman after dropping its incumbent Wong Tack.
“It will determine whether DAP’s strategy in using a Malay candidate to attract Malay votes could work,” added Azmi.
