Pas facing tough fight from BN

Two parties will be competing with each other to govern Kelantan, while another group has been described as a “troublemaker”.

The two parties which will be going head to head are Barisan Nasional and Pas while the troublemaker is Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Three parties in PH — Parti Amanah Negara (PAN), Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and PKR — will not give the two parties a tough fight as they do not have strong grassroots support.

Pas, which has been ruling Kelantan since 1990, is expected to face fierce competition from BN.

This opinion is shared by political analyst Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff.

He said the three PH parties were just troublemakers which would “disturb” the votes.

Kamarul said the three did not have capable leaders. They only had recycled candidates.

BN and Pas, however, had lined up strategies and candidates who appealed to the people.

“BN’s chances of winning in Kelantan are bright if it fields professional and talented candidates, and not those rejected by the people.

“The early announcement of candidates, including for the menteri besar position, will help to bring back people’s confidence in BN.

“This will reduce the likelihood of cah keting or sabotage from happening.

“If BN wins in Kelantan, the state’s development will grow.”

Kamarul said although BN and Pas were strong, the former has an advantage due to PAN’s presence.

Kamarul described Pas ceramah as not so encouraging this time around compared with those in the previous election.

This could be due to political fatigue.

Universiti Malaya’s senior lecturer Dr Amer Saifudr Ghazali said he believed BN could grab more parliamentary seats.

“This is due to problems in Pas as well as issues which have eroded the people’s confidence in the party.

“But for sure PH will never give any form of competition to Pas and Umno because only capable candidates are expected to win.”