BN may change strategy for GE14

FOLLOWING Sarawak Barisan Nasional’s (BN) landslide victory with the help of direct candidates in the 2016 state election, there is a good chance that a similar strategy would be adopted in the 14th general election (GE14).

This means the long-practised principle of “BN candidates must come from the coalition’s component parties” is likely to be put aside in favour of fielding “most winnable candidates”.

In other words, a seat traditionally allocated to one BN component party in the past can go to a candidate aligned to another component party in GE14 – a subtle way of seat-grabbing.

In the last Sarawak state polls, BN direct candidates emerged victorious despite not representing state BN component parties.

Given the precedent in Sarawak, the principle of collective leadership and powersharing as practised by BN in the last 42 years may be dropped, as indicated by repeated emphasis made by certain coalition leaders that only winnable candidates should be fielded in GE14, China Press reported.

Terengganu Umno chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman has said the practice of fielding candidates nominated by component parties in their traditional seats is no longer suitable with the changing times.

Meanwhile, Umno from other states are all for the abolition of seat quota for component parties, saying only winnable candidates should be fielded instead, regardless of which parties they represent.

A source close to BN said given the success of Sarawak BN in fielding direct candidates, federal BN may adopt this strategy nationwide in GE14, an approach that may work against small component parties.

“The direct candidate approach is what is worrying leaders of MCA, Gerakan and MIC.

“This is particularly true for MCA, which may not get to contest Wangsa Maju, Kuantan and Gelang Patah – the three seats it loaned to Umno in GE13 – in the next election,” the source said.