The new party will likely lose deposits if it decides to contest in all PAS-held constituencies, says Aziz Bari.
PETALING JAYA: Several analysts have poured cold water on former law minister Zaid Ibrahim’s suggestion that Parti Amanah Negara contest in all electoral constituencies held by PAS.
Constitutional law expert Aziz Bari said Zaid’s proposal made little sense because Amanah would likely lose its deposits in plenty of contests.
“Amanah has yet to prove that it is PAS’s successor,” he told FMT, pointing out that it did badly when it contested in the recent Sarawak state election.
“Amanah has to choose seats where it has a huge potential to win. Its candidates have to be smart not to lose their deposits.”
Zaid made his proposal at a recent forum on the 1MDB scandal. He urged Amanah to use the 1MDB issue to win the hearts of rural Malays.
Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia pointed out that the use of the 1MDB scandal in the campaigns for the recent Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar by-elections didn’t work out for the opposition.
Noting that both Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar are semi-rural areas, he said it wasn’t likely that the 1MDB issue would sway rural votes.
He also said the opposition had to be careful against having too many multi-cornered fights. ““If Amanah, PAS and BN contest for the same seat, it will be an advantage for BN,” he said.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Suffian Mansor agreed with Sivamurugan on the futility of using the 1MDB issue in campaigns in rural areas.
“It’s too complicated to be understood by the rural folk,” he said. “The things that matter to the rural people are the bread and butter issues.
“At the end of the day, for the rural folk it is about their income, food and survival. The government always promises a lot to them.”
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