DESPITE THE FERVOUR IN SEMENYIH, THE BY-ELECTION OUTCOME WILL BE NO GAME CHANGER
Little difference to PH’s hold on power in state assembly, says analyst
IT has been a gruelling twoweek campaign for candidates, but regardless of its outcome, the Semenyih byelection has never stood as a political game changer.
Out of 56 seats in the Selangor assembly, Pakatan Harapan holds 50, Barisan Nasional (four) and Pas (one).
Regardless of who wins the Semenyih race, it will not lead to changes in local or national politics, nor in the status quo of federal or state lawmakers.
Whatever the outcome, the Selangor assembly would be controlled by PH, analyst Dr Faridzwan Abdul Ghafar said.
The seat is witnessing a fourcornered fight between PH’s Muhammad Aiman Zainali, BN’s Zakaria Hanafi, Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul and independent candidate Kuan Chee Heng.
“Win or lose, things will remain the same, despite the fervour shown by the political machinery in campaigning.
“It is a by-election which will not lead to changes in policies or their implementation. PH holds a super majority in the state assembly. Even if the victory by a certain party may be described as a reflection of Malay sentiment, it may not hold true in the long term.”
There is less than one per cent of Orang Asli voters in Semenyih, with Malays at 69.2 per cent, Chinese (16.8 per cent) and Indians (13.3 per cent).
The by-election, however, remains a place to showcase Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Umno’s dominance over the Malay electorate, analyst Dr Ainul Adzellie said.
For example, some politicians are expected to headline a BN victory as “a referendum by the Malay voters against the PH government over its handling of issues concerning Islam”.
Political leaders have been using the by-election to strengthen their Malay support base.
“Both BN and PH want to prove that they each have Malay support as almost 70 per cent of voters there are from the community.
“PH is using Semenyih as a yardstick of Malay support,” analyst Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said.
Associate Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said much was at stake for BN.
BN had suffered a blow when seven of its members of parliament crossed over to Bersatu and effectively PH.
“If they lose, it would mean more of their members jumping ship,” said Awang Azman.
The Semenyih seat fell vacant following the death of assemblyman Bakhtiar Mohd Nor on Jan 11 from a heart attack. He was 57.
In the 14th General Election, Bakhtiar defeated candidates from BN, Pas and PSM with a majority of 8,964 votes. He garnered 23,428 votes.
The electoral roll for the byelection, which is from the third quarter of 2018, lists 53,411 voters, comprising 53,520 ordinary and 109 absentee voters.
There will be 26 voting centres with 119 polling streams.
Polling will involve 992 election workers and is expected to cost RM1.8 million.
Early voting was held on Feb 26.