GE15: Which party will shine brighter in Kelantan?

SHAH ALAM - The 15th General Election (GE15) on Saturday will witness 1,404,763 voters in Kelantan performing their responsibilities to ensure who will be elected to become a Parliament member for the coming five years.

The campaigns had two days left and this focused on the heated clash among two dominant parties - Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) - to grab the 14 Parliamentary seats.

The uniqueness of PN coalition that consisted of Pas and Bersatu used their moon logo to contest Kelantan and Terengganu as how was agreed upon by both parties.

The usage of the moon symbol had been more accurate with the 'taste' of the Kelantan people who were synonymous with Pas's struggles.

The ability of other parties such as Pakatan Harapan (PH), Gabungan Tanah Air (GTA), Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), Warisan and Bebas were not negated but the people in the state agreed that these parties solely exist to 'steal' votes from Pas and PN.

The presence of other parties was not something to be overlooked because PH especially had proven their existence when they started to gain a place among the population, especially in GE14.

Even though the majority of PH candidates had lost their betting money in GE14, certain areas such as Kota Bharu and Kubang Kerian saw fierce opposition to Pas and BN candidates.

The mood and situations of the campaigns had only two days left, and the moon (pas) was seen as heavier than the scale (BN).

The situation was giving an early image that Pas was expected to increase the number of Parliamentary seats in the country thus raising the strength to form the central government.

From the 14 seats, Pas was expected to maintain their power in Pengkalan Chepa, Bachok, Pasir Mas, Kuala Krai, Kota Bharu, Kubang Kerian, Rantau Panjang, Pasir Puteh and Tumpat.

Bersatu at the same time who had used the moon symbol was expected to steal BN seats in Tanah Marah and Jeli in GE15.

However, Pas was expected to face some fierce opposition in defending the seats they held in GE14 that is Tumpat Kota Bharu and Rantau Panjang.

The Tumpat seat had gained attention when its incumbent previously contested under Pas Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi used the scale symbol after his name was removed as a candidate.

The former deputy Agriculture and Food Industry II minister said he made the decision to contest using BN's ticket in GE15 to regain his dignity after being severely slandered during the previous party election.

While the seat held by Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan witnessed the Pas Secretary General faced with the state Angkatan Wanita Parti Amanah Negara (Awan) Wanita Chief Dr Hafidzah Mustakim from PH, Datuk Rosmadi Ismail (BN), Professor Datuk Dr Che Musa Che Omar (GTA ), Andy Tan (PRM) and Independent Izat Bukhari Ismail Bukhari.

For the Rantau Panjang Parliamentary seat, Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff was seen to be facing a strong rejection from flood victims in several villages here following the failure to resolve the issue of bad floods that often hit the area.

The people of Kelantan were seen as much more comfortable choosing a party compared to candidates even though it was clear they had served well for the people.

The total seats that could be won by BN were expected to decrease in GE15 due to this situation and could only maintain Machang, Gua Musang and Ketereh.

However, all of it depended on the campaign approach that could be used in the remaining duration. The methods and strategy if it hit, the change of power could happen.

It was up to the efforts of the party machineries to win the hearts of voters.