PN not strong enough to seize KKB?

SHAH ALAM - Pakatan Harapan (PH) will be able to defend the Kuala Kubu Baharu State Legislative Assembly seat in the by-election this Saturday despite having tough competition from Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) President Datuk Dr Ibrahim Ali said that although the by-election would be tough compared to the Selangor State Election in 2023, it was believed that PN would not be able to seize the state assembly seat.

Ibrahim said that one of the factors that helped PH candidate Pang Sock Tao win was that 20 per cent of the more than 18,800 Malay voters, including Umno supporters, would vote for the candidate representing the unity government involved.

"95 per cent of the 12,182 Chinese voters are expected to remain with the unity government coalition despite claims that DAP supporters boycotted the by-election because they were not satisfied with the selection of candidates," he told Sinar Premium.

However, Ibrahim who is also a former Pasir Mas Member of Parliament said what remained a question of many parties was the direction of the support of Indian voters.

He said that even though many Indian voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the Madani Government and PH governments, he was confident that they would not necessarily vote for the PN candidate.

"I also believe that these Indian voters are the easiest group to manage compared to other races including Malays and Chinese during the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election," he said.

He said that one of the main reasons why PN failed in its mission to capture the Kuala Kubu Baharu state seat was the failure of its machinery and leaders to coordinate issues properly and there were discrepancies in the facts.

Another factor that could contribute to PN's defeat, said Ibrahim, was the coalition's campaign machinery which was not in order compared to if Pas put its candidate to contest there.

"The grassroots machinery of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) is quite weak when compared to Pas because the party has been established for a long time and has many representatives now," he said.

However, Ibrahim's opinion was contradicted by Pas Deputy President Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who insisted that PN would win in Kuala Kubu Baharu based on the positive feedback received by the coalition throughout this by-election campaign.

In fact, he said all the party machinery had already mobilised as soon as the vacancy was announced to ensure that PN was able to seize the Kuala Kubu Baharu seat which was previously held by a DAP representative.

"What is important is the effort to ensure that returning voters fulfill their responsibilities," he said.

Former Bangi Member of Parliament Dr Ong Kian Ming said based on his survey of Malay, Chinese, Indian majority areas and Orang Asli villages, he found that PH-PN's chances of winning the Kuala Kubu Baharu seat were balanced or 50:50.

The Selangor DAP treasurer also did not deny that there were weaknesses in the campaign in the Malay majority areas because the PH and BN machinery in the areas involved was not as strong as in the non-Malay areas.

"Therefore, the focus of the PH and BN campaign for the last day should be concentrated in Malay majority areas and also to encourage voters outside the area to return to vote," he added.

Meanwhile, former Penang DAP Deputy Chairman P. Ramasamy when met in Kuala Kubu Baharu said that his United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) would continue the campaign so that voters, especially Indians, would reject the DAP candidate.

However, Ramasamy insisted that his action did not mean supporting the PN candidate but rather the independent candidate and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), as long as it was not a PH candidate.

"Although the results of this by-election will not affect the position of the Selangor state government and the federal government, we hope that voters can use it as a space to voice their dissatisfaction with the government," he stressed.