'Loqlaq' Sanusi is not everyone's cup of tea - Kedah Umno

KUALA LUMPUR - He may have been making huge waves and significant strides in Kedah, but not everyone in the state is a fan of the uncouth antics and boorish behaviour of the state’s Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Mohd Nor.

"He is rude. Ill-mannered too and I do not understand why some in Kedah called him a ‘sempoi’ (cool) MB, despite him spewing vulgarities in his ceramahs," said Kedah Umno information chief Datuk Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin in an interview with Sinar Daily.

"But I can assure you that not all Malays in Kedah are fans of his ‘loqlaq’ (lude) approach to politics. I am confident that there are many who are still rational, and Umno will campaign [for the state election] along these values," he added.

Kedah is one of the three Malay heartlands—the other two being Kelantan and Teregganu—that Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi described as the ‘Malay Belt’ that the party set its eyes on winning in the looming state polls.

In the 15th General Election, Umno was completely wiped out in Kedah, and while this further strengthened the prevailing view of Pas’ impending victory in the northern state, Shaiful was of a differing opinion.

"Kedah is actually a swing state," he said.

And such a fact, Shaiful explained, was proven when Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) managed to win back Kedah from Pas in the 2008 General Election.

In fact, where state elections are concerned, Pas -- despite its conspicuous presence in Kedah -- has only managed to win the state once, and Sanusi's rise as MB was not through the ballot but instead through the ousting of his predecessor Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir of Pribumi Bersatu in 2020.

"I believe that the so-called ‘green wave’ has been overhyped by certain quarters. Nonetheless, based on past electoral statistics, the battle in Kedah will not be an easy one," stressed Shaiful.

"I think Kedahans really need to ask themselves if they really want a person like Sanusi—who is impolite, speaks recklessly, and exploits religion for political interest—to continue being their MB," he continued.