PD move a premier chance for Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s comeback to Parliament has been made easier with Barisan Nasional’s announcement that it is boycotting the Port Dickson by- election on Oct 13.
The PKR president- elect is the Pakatan Harapan ( PH) candidate and although Parti Rakyat Malaysia ( PRM) and a non- governmental organisation have expressed their intention to contest the Parliamentary seat, the ruling coalition’s victory is almost assured.
To tell the truth, many people had been eager to see PKR and BN locking horns in the battle to win the Port Dickson seat.
On Monday, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the decision to stay out of the Port Dickson by- election was reached after a discussion among Umno, MCA and MIC.
Anyway, the final line- up of candidates for the by- election will be known on nomination day on Saturday.
The by- election was called after the resignation of the Member of Parliament for Port Dickson Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, to pave the way for Anwar to contest the seat and return to the Dewan Rakyat.
In the 14th general election on May 9, Danyal Balagopal won the seat with a majority of 17,710, defeating Barisan Nasional’s Datuk V. S. Mogan and Mahfuz Roslan from PAS. Chance to contest Anwar has stressed that his decision to contest in Port Dickson was not because he was in a hurry to become Malaysia’s eighth prime minister but to enable him to speak out in Parliament.
PKR’s allies in PH – DAP, Bersatu and Amanah – have endorsed Anwar’s candidacy and have pledged their full support to ensure PH’s victory, as well as to realise the coalition’s plan for Anwar to eventually succeed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.
Political analysts want to see a contest for the Port Dickson Parliamentary seat although they are aware that many of Anwar’s supporters would prefer to see him winning unopposed.
Universiti Putra Malaysia senior lecturer Dr Anuar Shah Bali Mahomed said in a democratic system, contests were necessary for an election to gauge the support of the people.
The results will provide an indication of whether or not there is any change in the people’s support towards any party.
“Although the chances of an opposition victory (in Port Dickson) are slim with some people saying they should stay away but in a democracy, a contest is necessary.
“It will give an indication of whether or not there’s any change in the people’s support towards PH, now that more than 100 days have passed ( since the coalition took over the federal government). There are also many issues that can be raised (during the campaign) to attract public attention,” he said.
Anuar Shah felt that the racial composition of Port Dickson 75,000 voters would be an advantage for Anwar as there was no single community that comprised more than 50 per cent of the voters.
Malays constitute 43 per cent, Chinese 33 per cent, Indians 22 per cent and others two per cent.
“The composition of this mixed seat will be favourable for Anwar, thus rendering it a safe seat for him. The opposition, especially PAS and Umno, will take stock of this situation when fielding their candidate in PD,” he said. Gain the people’s support Anuar Shah also said that the outcome of the upcoming by- election would indicate whether the people’s support for PH remained strong as the government has yet to resolve many issues that have arisen after winning GE14.
He added that both Anwar and PH could not afford to take things for granted because the recent Seri Setia by- election showed some evidence of an erosion of support for PH among Malay voters.
The by- election for the Seri Setia state seat in Selangor on Sept 8 – which was won by PH’s Halimey Abu Bakar after he beat Dr Halimah Ali of PAS with a majority of 4,027 votes – saw the percentage of votes garnered by the ruling coalition dropping to 58.6 per cent, from 66.6 per cent in GE14.
“If we were to look back at GE14, PAS did not lead at any of the voting centres in Seri Setia but in the recent by- election there, PAS won in three of these voting centres which showed an 8.5 per cent increase in the number of Malay votes cast in favour of PAS and Umno,” he said.
Anwar can, however, use the Port Dickson by- election as a platform to get closer to the people and raise issues that are close to the rakyat’s heart, he pointed out. It is usual for local issues to take centre stage during a by- election but in Port Dickson national issues, particularly in relation to Anwar becoming the next prime minister, will hog the limelight.
“The campaign will revolve around the fact that Anwar is contesting the by- election to not only return to Parliament but to pave the way for him to become this nation’s eighth prime minister,” said Anuar Shah. Launch transition of power History is set to be created should Anwar win the Port Dickson Parliamentary seat as he will be the first MP from Negeri Sembilan to occupy the topmost seat of power in the government.
If PH retains the Port Dickson constituency in this by- election, it will ensure the stability of the federal government and set in motion the power transition plan.
“The power transition plan can only proceed smoothly if there’s no leadership crisis,” said Universiti Utara Malaysia senior lecturer Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani.
Anwar, he pointed out, would have to go through several processes before he is qualified to become prime minister.
“He has already won the PKR presidential post unopposed. Next is the process of becoming an MP, hence the reason he has to win the Port Dickson byelection,” he said, adding that Anwar would also have to serve as a backbencher first to get the feel of the workings of the current administration and the people’s aspirations to prepare him to take over the leadership of the government later.
Mohd Azizuddin views the Port Dickson by- election as an arena for Anwar to test whether or not he has what it takes to secure a healthy majority in the mixed-race constituency and, in particular, among the Malay voters.
“The outcome will be an indication of Anwar’s credibility as the potential eighth prime minister to lead Malaysia.
“Although the voter turnout in the by- election may be less (compared to GE14), Anwar still has to ensure that PH takes the seat with a big majority,” he added. — Bernama