Mega surprises ahead in Melaka polls

ARE Melaka people ready to make history by having a female chief minister?

That may happen if Perikatan Nasional forms the state government after the Melaka state election.

The chatter in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, the leading party in Perikatan, is that Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin as well as Melaka Bersatu chairman Datuk Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen are potential candidates for the coveted post.

Mas Ermieyati, who is Masjid Tanah MP and a deputy minister, is likely to contest in Ayer Limau, while Rafiq will defend his Paya Rumput seat.

But all of this will remain castles in the air unless Perikatan can beat the odds to win the election.

Rafiq has a good chance of retaining his seat but Mas Ermieyati will not have it easy because of her reputation as a turncoat after abandoning Umno for Bersatu just months after the 14th general election.

The Melaka polls will test her support because the seat she is eyeing is smack in the Umno stronghold of Masjid Tanah, where the Umno base is itching to teach her a lesson.

There has been an upsurge of attacks on social media against her, with people labelling her as “Mak Lampir,” the Malay metaphor for a witch, along with other unmentionable names.

But all ambitious politicians need to have a thick skin and Mas Ermieyati has put on a brave front as Perikatan’s “poster girl,” the key face in its campaign posters.

The Melaka state election is set to be a political thriller.

There is no shortage of chief minister candidates – at least three in Pakatan Harapan, two in Bersatu and as many in Barisan Nasional.

“Our grassroots strength is not very strong but credibility is important. Voters are looking for candidates who can deliver,” said Alor Gajah MP Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof.

At one level, it is a battle for control of Melaka. At another level, it is a duel for Malay supremacy between the Malay parties or what Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan termed as a do-or-die battle.

The Umno supreme council meeting a few days ago gave the president, deputy president and the prime minister the mandate to negotiate on the party’s behalf.

As a result, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob convened a hush-hush meeting with bigwigs of PAS and Bersatu on Friday night.

It is still very fluid but there are signs that the three parties could be on the verge of a settlement on the issue of seats.

Meanwhile, anger and frustration in PAS has been mounting over PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s decision to sacrifice the party logo for that of Perikatan in the state election.

PAS members may not come out to campaign in full force or to vote if the party insists on using the Perikatan logo. Even the PAS hardcore is not convinced that the party can win a single seat under the Perikatan flag.

The Melaka chapter of PAS is particularly unhappy and has sent a petition to the syura council, which is the party’s highest decision-making body and comprises conservative ulama figures.

The syura council will meet this weekend to discuss the logo issue and also to decide on the election candidates.

It is learnt that Hadi has been invited to defend his controversial decision at the meeting.

Although PAS leaders disagree with Hadi, they do not want to embarrass him or be perceived as going against him.

“We want to use our own logo but we want the issue to be resolved amicably without disrespect to anyone,” said the party’s Selangor election chief Roslan Shahir.

PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man sent a strong signal on Facebook, saying: “Since all parties want to work with us, it is ideal to use our own party logo in the Melaka election. Think about it.”

It will be a game-changer should the syura council rule in favour of using their own party logo.

If that happens, Umno is willing to forego three winnable Malay seats to PAS and also a place in the state government if they win.

It will be a historic moment for PAS which has long struggled to make it in Melaka, but it will leave Bersatu in the lurch.

“It’s a unique situation. There is so much at stake yet there is apathy and anger across the board. Those who vote will do so grudgingly,” said political risk analyst Datuk Wan Shihab Wan Ismail.

He said the ban on political gatherings means that the parties have to be creative in their campaign.

For instance, crowd magnet Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be on a “cuti-cuti Melaka” outing this weekend, going to the market and making stops for asam pedas, cendol and fried bananas.

Tangga Batu Umno division chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Mohamad had asked Najib for help to turn the four state seats in his division from black to white.

Two of the seats were won by Pakatan in 2018, while the other two were “lost” after Datuk Seri Idris Haron and Datuk Nor Azman Hassan turned against Umno.

Mohamad Ali, who is also Dewan Negara deputy president, has drawn up a packed schedule for Najib to “jalan-jalan,” that is, to tour the constituency.

Umno, said Wan Shihab, hit rock bottom in the general election, yet managed to win 13 of the 28 state seats.

The hostility on the Malay ground has cooled down and Malay sentiment is coming back to the centre.

“There are positive signals but no one should take anything for granted,” said Wan Shihab.