PH confident of retaining power in 3 states

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PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan is confident that it will retain power in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Penang in the coming elections to state assemblies, says PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

“The focus now is to defend Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, and Penang. PH is confident of victory based on the current situation,” he said after attending the PH presidential council meeting.

While PH is expected to work together with BN, Saifuddin said the meeting did not delve into the possible cooperation as the current focus is for the election committee to make necessary preparations.

PH is expected to face a strong fight from Perikatan Nasional, which comprises PAS and Bersatu.

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Bumpy road ahead to next Penang state polls

GEORGE TOWN: The coming elections to the Penang state assembly will be one to watch as former arch-enemies Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional put aside their differences and work together.

Leaders of both parties appear ready to work together, but grassroot members appear to be uncomfortable about emulating the cooperation practised at national level.

A senior DAP leader, asked about grassroot apathy, told FMT: “Anwar Ibrahim has only been in power for a month. The state elections must be held in eight to 10 months. The tide can change and the grassroots would learn that there are no permanent enemies in politics.”

However, it wouldn’t be easy for PH to maintain the supermajority-level of support it received in the 2018 elections, taking into account Perikatan Nasional’s rise in popularity among the Malays.

With Kepala Batas, Permatang Pauh and Tasek Gelugor lost to Perikatan Nasional in the November general election, the PH machinery will have to fight it out in Malay heartlands of Balik Pulau and Seberang Perai, to fend off the “green wave” – the term used to describe the success of the PN-PAS partnership.

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Wait for the taming of the PN with the ‘PH Wave’, says PKR man

KEADILAN (PKR) Central Leadership Council member Yahya Sahri said the wave of support for the Perikatan National (PN) will be dampened by the rise of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) wave in the states controlled by the coalition led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The PN wave hit the three states, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu in the Malay belt, giving the opposition group a large number of seats in Parliament as a result of the 15th General Election (GE15). It also gave the PN control of the state of Perlis, the first time in history that the UMNO had lost control of this state since independence.

However, PH is working round the clock to revive its popularity in Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan in particular, ahead of the much-awaited state elections that are to be held soon.

Yahya said yesterday’s (Jan 7) PH Presidential Council meeting had already decided to organise an election convention in each state starting this January to prepare the machinery at the state level.

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“Incumbency of good governance not enough to thwart PN’s political ambitions”

THE green wave unleashed by Bersatu and PAS in Perikatan Nasional (PN) has unsettled Pakatan Harapan (PH) to some extent.

Now that the parliamentary elections are over, the focus is on the PH winning state elections in Penang, Selangor, and Negri Sembilan, while at the same time reducing the majority of the PN in Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.

While there might not be much hope for PH or PH-UMNO to combine to exhibit a strong showing in PAS controlled states, denting PN’s majority is important.

This time around, there is a new political landscape in the PH front. There is a good chance that Umno and PH will band together to derail PN’s plans. To what extent UMNO can attract Malay votes to the side of PH remains to be seen. It must be realised that even UMNO was the victim of the “green wave” phenomenon in the recent general elections.

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