Infighting led to poor GE14 results for Kedah BN, says Mahdzir

ALOR STAR: Days ahead of the 14th General Election (GE14), Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid shared the bitter experience of losing Kedah to the Pas-led Pakatan Rakyat government in the 2008 General Election.

Speaking to teachers and Umno members in Sik, the former education minister said Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) members had no option but to unite to retain its victory after recapturing the state five years ago.

The guest of honour at the gathering was the BN deputy chairman, who was also deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

In his speech, Zahid reminded all the three BN elected reps in Sik to take heed of Mahdzir’s advice as the people would reject leaders who were involved in internal bickering.

“Unfortunately, it seemed that the Umno warlords did not learn from the lesson and once again, they were distracted by the party election which was due to be held after the general election.

“The internal sabotage was obvious throughout the GE14 campaign period, leading to the massive rejection by voters, including among members,” said Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) political analyst Associate Professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani.

“In the urban and suburban areas, the Malay votes and the Umno members’ vote went to Pakatan Harapan and Pas, while in rural areas, which was supposed to be BN’s ‘fixed deposit’, went to Pas,” he said.

Azizuddin, who had predicted that Kedah would experience a hung parliament after GE14, admitted that even he was surprised by the scale of swing votes.

On the appointment of a menteri besar, Azizuddin said Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, who led the Pakatan Harapan machinery in Kedah, would be the obvious choice.

However, he said, the decision would depend on whether Mukhriz would be handed a federal minister post.

“Besides Mukhriz, Pakatan has other options, namely former Kedah state assembly opposition leader Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah, who had joined Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia from Pas.

“Another potential candidate is Gurun assemblyman Datuk Johari Abdul, since PKR won eight state seats in Kedah, the biggest among the Pakatan pact.”

The swearing-in ceremony of the 13th Kedah Menteri Besar, which was supposed to have been held yesterday, has been postponed to a new date.

This was confirmed by the Sultan of Kedah’s senior private secretary Datuk Elmi Yusoff, through a statement.

In Ipoh, questions still remain over which party will form the Perak government, with none of the parties being able to secure a simple majority of 30 out of the 59 state seats.

BN, under its Perak chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, won 27 seats, PKR won 29 seats while Pas has three seats.

Based on the scenario, the formation of the state government is still in “wait and see” mode. The focus has now shifted to Pas’ readiness to collaborate with BN to form a coalition government. This hinges on obtaining the consent of Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.

However, Pas is wary, as a cooperation with BN or PKR could spark a rejection or resignations from its members, thus it is keeping the door open to becoming the state’s opposition party.

Perak Pas commissioner Razman Zakaria said the cooperation to form the coalition government must fulfil the requirements set by the Pas leadership, which include prioritising Islam and preserving Pas’ struggles.

The choices of Menteri Besar are clear — Zambry for BN and Razman for Pas. Should Pas choose to collaborate with BN, there is a possibility that a minority government would be realised. If that happens, the opposition pact contesting under the PKR logo would have the advantage, as it has the most number of state seats at 29.