Getting their money back may, or may not, be a game changer

PETALING JAYA: While Bersatu sees a ray of light now that the court has allowed it to challenge the freezing of its bank accounts, political analysts have different readings whether this will be a game changer in the coming six state elections.

Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said that if Bersatu manages to unfreeze the party’s accounts, it would become a game changer.

“It would, as they would have more money to mobilise their already formidable election machinery,” he said.

Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan and Kedah are the states due for polls.However, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan disagreed, saying the move would not be a game changer, but rather only a bit of a boost to Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional’s “vibe” to go into the six state elections.

“If the accounts were unfrozen, the party can finally have access to the money they need.

“And based on trend in the last general election, we can see that Perikatan and Bersatu had spent a lot on advertisement and campaigns, including on social media.

“It will not be much of a game changer but it will be a slight boost financially,” he said.

Universiti Teknologi Mara School of Media and Information Warfare Studies’ security and political analyst Dr Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin also agreed, saying that whether the party account is unfrozen or not, it would not bring much changes in terms of support towards the parties in Perikatan.

“This is because the fundamentals during a campaign is whether the party will be able to win the people’s heart, perception and confidence. They also need to be close to the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris has welcomed the court decision to allow the party to commence legal proceedings to challenge the freeze on its bank accounts and the travel ban on party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“We are thankful with the decision and we pray that the legal process will be expedited,” he said.