PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Harapan Rantau by-election candidate Dr S. Streram look on during a ceramah in Taman Angsamas, Rantau. -NSTP/ADZLAN SIDEK
SEREMBAN: With 10 days to go before polling day, the Rantau by-election is shaping up to be a battle between two political heavyweights — Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of Pakatan Harapan.
PKR’s Dr S. Streram may be contesting under the PH ticket, but it is clear that it is Anwar, not Dr Streram, who Mohamad has to be wary of.
The Anwar factor is playing an increasingly important role in this polls, which neither the BN deputy chairman nor the PKR president could afford to lose.
Dr Streram’s hustings, or ceramah kelompok as the PH election machinery calls them, had been low-key affairs that attract small groups of constituents.
But Anwar, who hit the campaign trail and stumped on behalf of Dr Streram for the first time on Tuesday, held three ceramah in one night and drew larger crowds of between 300 and 400 people.
In all three ceramah, Anwar spent a substantial amount of time explaining why he fielded Dr Streram, instead of a Malay, in the by-election, which is being held in a Malay-majority seat.
Dr Streram’s candidacy had not been well received by certain factions in PKR, who attributed BN’s recent electoral victories to Umno’s cooperation with Pas and the proliferation of Malay-Muslim sentiments.
Anwar went to great lengths to put his Malay audience at ease
by promoting Dr Streram’s humanitarian work in war-torn Muslim countries, like Sudan and Afghanistan.
But Dr Streram’s volunteerism will unlikely have any pull with the voters, who are mostly estate workers, working odd jobs and running small businesses. To them, it is bread-and-butter issues and the rising cost of living that matter the most.
In Rantau, Malays comprise 55.11 per cent, or 11,283 voters, Indians (5,336 voters) make up 26 per cent, Chinese (3,849 voters) make up 18.8 per cent and the remainder is made up of other races.
The fact that Anwar is Port Dickson member of parliament explains his strong presence in Rantau, which is adjacent to his parliamentary constituency.
He went as far as promising that development projects in Port Dickson would have a spillover effect in Rantau, especially if Dr Streram won the polls.
“This is not a conditional promise. But I hope Dr Streram wins because at least I have someone I can work with,” Anwar said during a ceramah in Taman Sri Ramai here.
PKR has won three by-elections it contested since the 14th General Election (Seri Setia, Sungai Kandis and Port Dickson), but this is the party’s first by-election with Anwar at the helm.
PH, however, lost the last two polls in Cameron Highlands and Semenyih, and Anwar is facing mounting pressure not only to secure a win for the pact, but also break BN’s momentum from notching up a third win in a row.
“This will be Anwar’s first real test as the president of PKR. Mohamad is widely admired and hopes are pinned on him to rebuild Umno and BN in the aftermath of the 14th General Election,” said political analyst Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia.
A win against the acting Umno president, said Sivamurugan, would elevate Dr Streram’s status as a giant killer and give credence to Anwar’s legitimacy as the prime minister-in-waiting.
“This is a clash between the prospective eighth prime minister and BN’s potential prime minister-designate. As Anwar’s nemesis, Mohamad may use the result of this election as a yardstick to determine whether it’s viable to aim for the premiership,” he added.
The by-election is no longer simply a contest between BN and PH. Rather, it is a clash between two powerhouses, between two household personalities whose brands transcend party lines.
The by-election sees a four-cornered fight between Dr Streram, Mohamad and two independents, R. Malarvizhi and Mohd Nor Yassin.
PKR’s Dr S. Streram may be contesting under the PH ticket, but it is clear that it is Anwar, not Dr Streram, who Mohamad has to be wary of.
Dr Streram’s hustings, or ceramah kelompok as the PH election machinery calls them, had been low-key affairs that attract small groups of constituents.
But Anwar, who hit the campaign trail and stumped on behalf of Dr Streram for the first time on Tuesday, held three ceramah in one night and drew larger crowds of between 300 and 400 people.
In all three ceramah, Anwar spent a substantial amount of time explaining why he fielded Dr Streram, instead of a Malay, in the by-election, which is being held in a Malay-majority seat.
Dr Streram’s candidacy had not been well received by certain factions in PKR, who attributed BN’s recent electoral victories to Umno’s cooperation with Pas and the proliferation of Malay-Muslim sentiments.
Anwar went to great lengths to put his Malay audience at ease
by promoting Dr Streram’s humanitarian work in war-torn Muslim countries, like Sudan and Afghanistan.
But Dr Streram’s volunteerism will unlikely have any pull with the voters, who are mostly estate workers, working odd jobs and running small businesses. To them, it is bread-and-butter issues and the rising cost of living that matter the most.
In Rantau, Malays comprise 55.11 per cent, or 11,283 voters, Indians (5,336 voters) make up 26 per cent, Chinese (3,849 voters) make up 18.8 per cent and the remainder is made up of other races.
Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional flags lined up along the main road in Rantau. -NSTP/SAIFULLIZAN TAMADI
The fact that Anwar is Port Dickson member of parliament explains his strong presence in Rantau, which is adjacent to his parliamentary constituency.
He went as far as promising that development projects in Port Dickson would have a spillover effect in Rantau, especially if Dr Streram won the polls.
“This is not a conditional promise. But I hope Dr Streram wins because at least I have someone I can work with,” Anwar said during a ceramah in Taman Sri Ramai here.
PKR has won three by-elections it contested since the 14th General Election (Seri Setia, Sungai Kandis and Port Dickson), but this is the party’s first by-election with Anwar at the helm.
PH, however, lost the last two polls in Cameron Highlands and Semenyih, and Anwar is facing mounting pressure not only to secure a win for the pact, but also break BN’s momentum from notching up a third win in a row.
“This will be Anwar’s first real test as the president of PKR. Mohamad is widely admired and hopes are pinned on him to rebuild Umno and BN in the aftermath of the 14th General Election,” said political analyst Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia.
A win against the acting Umno president, said Sivamurugan, would elevate Dr Streram’s status as a giant killer and give credence to Anwar’s legitimacy as the prime minister-in-waiting.
“This is a clash between the prospective eighth prime minister and BN’s potential prime minister-designate. As Anwar’s nemesis, Mohamad may use the result of this election as a yardstick to determine whether it’s viable to aim for the premiership,” he added.
The by-election is no longer simply a contest between BN and PH. Rather, it is a clash between two powerhouses, between two household personalities whose brands transcend party lines.
The by-election sees a four-cornered fight between Dr Streram, Mohamad and two independents, R. Malarvizhi and Mohd Nor Yassin.
No comments:
Post a Comment