Battleground Kedah: Can Umno deliver?
COMMENTARY, July 31 — Kedah — a Malay heartland where PAS-PN succeeded in wiping out BN in the last general election and which now BN-PH think there is a fighting chance they can recapture as voters are prone to change their minds if “given a good deal”.
The so-called Malay tsunami that hit the country in last year’s general election does not really apply to Kedah as it is a state where voters try out or experiment with warring parties to see which can help revive the state’s economy and bring them out of the struggling economy they are facing.
Formerly known as the rice bowl of Malaysia, the state is now neither agriculture- or industrial-based as infrastructure for both are half-built or half-ignored making it a state without direction.
Fifty per cent of the population are padi planters and work in oil palm plantations while the other 50 per cent are civil servants and office or industrial workers.
Given that 90 per cent of them are Malays, they will vote for any Malay party that can uplift their livelihood.
Given the “flexibity” of their political minds and hearts, BN-PH sees a fighting chance to capture the state election.
This is where Umno faces its biggest battle – convincing the voters the party is still relevant as it is with the unity government.
The state election will also be their chance to gauge whether its members and supporters are still with them or have shifted or “kaleh” — a local term which means shifted to other parties.
If Umno fails to rally its own supporters and members back to the fold, then Anwar’s aim to capture the state may not be achieved.
Today, the third day of campaigning, Kedah does not seem like much of a battleground as parties on both sides of the political divide have not made a move against one another — there are no big ceramah gatherings or campaigners going round making house calls.
The situation seems relaxed as the people carry on with their daily routine seemingly ignoring there is an election going on and two of the biggest Malay parties are fighting each other for support and votes.
Banners and posters have yet to line the roads in towns and kampungs; the townsfolk and villagers said these only appear a week before polling which has been the usual practice.
For now, they said the candidates and their team would just go on walkabouts which they term as introducing and getting to know each other.
For the past seven months after the general election, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government has been taunted by rival PAS-PN as the latter sees the government as not fully supported by Malays given the latter won the majority of Malay seats.
PAS-PN sees the weakest link in the unity government is Umno-led BN where the coalition lost Perlis and Kedah. They see it as the time to eliminate Umno from the country’s political landscape.
Anwar-led PH needed Umno to form the unity government and now Umno is playing its part in supporting the government while at the same time struggling to revitalise its position.
The rival parties started campaigning for the six state elections immediately after last year’s general election raising issues of concern such as higher cost of living, the main contention and other issues faced by Malaysians.
Meanwhile, the ministers in the unity government have tried hard explaining the causes and actions taken to overcome various issues but PAS’ election director who is also caretaker Kedah menteri besar Datuk Sanusi Nor has been very consistent and vocal in his attacks.
About two months ago, Prime Minister Anwar went on attack mode and criss-crossed around the country to explain all issues as well as present what the government has been doing which neutralised these attacks.
As Anwar has already done more than half of the campaign work, can Umno deliver its share of the load? It depends on how well the candidates and campaigners relate their narrative to these voters.
To Anwar, nothing is impossible.
