FORMER Umno president Najib Razak will not be as influential in Tanjung Piai, compared to previous by-elections, said academics at a seminar.

“This is the first time he’s going to the ground in Johor, where it was previously hostile,” Universiti Malaya’s Prof Dr Hamidin Abd Hamid said, adding Najib became unpopular in the Umno stronghold after he ejected former Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin in 2016 from the party.

“Since then, it was as if the name Najib Razak was erased in Johor. During GE14, Najib billboards would only be placed along the highway.

“When you get into the towns or villages, nobody talks about him in Johor.”

In the last election, Najib did not go to the southern state at all during the campaign period.

Then vice president Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi went instead.

Hamidin, who used to work in the Prime Minister’s Office, said that although Najib visited Tanjung Piai on the eve of nominations on Friday, he had not received a warm welcome.

“He was very dominant during the Cameron Highlands by-election as he’s from Pahang and quite popular too in the Semenyih by-election.

“However, we don’t expect him to dominate the headlines in Tanjung Piai,” said the Ilham researcher during the P165: Tg Piai seminar in Universiti Malaya yesterday.

Ilham Centre head of research Dr Mohd Yusri Ibrahim said that polls on Najib in Semenyih and Cameron Highlands showed that he was popular.

“In Semenyih, 56.6% said Najib was a positive impact to BN in the by-election, whereas 71% of those polled in Cameron Highlands said they felt his presence during the by-election,” said Yusri.

Hamidin said the Tanjung Piai by-election was also an important test for Umno president Ahmad Zahid.

“Winning or losing here will give us an indication about how long he can sustain his political career, albeit with the criminal cases he is facing.”

He said Zahid was “on leave” during the last three by-elections in Semenyih, Cameron Highlands and Rantau, and this marks the first time the Bagan Datoh MP will be leading the party since his return.

The Tanjung Piai test is also a good indicator of the structure of PH’s grassroots.

“What we can see now is just the PH Presidential Council. Beyond that, there appears to be no structure at state or division levels.

“This was evident during the past few by-elections, resulting in chaos and a weaker campaign.

“So, this is a good chance to see whether PH has sorted out its structure at the grassroots level.”

The by-election was brought about by the death of Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, of Pakatan Harapan-Bersatu on September 21 of heart complications. He was 42.

Farid, who was a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and an anaesthesiologist by profession, captured the seat in the 14th general election in May 2018.

He polled 21,255 votes to beat Wee Jeck Seng (BN-MCA) and Nordin Othman (PAS) by 524 votes. Wee had garnered 20,731 votes and Nordin 2,962 votes.

In this by-election, PH is represented by Bersatu’s Karmaine Sardini against BN’s former two-time MP, Wee.

Besides the two, the by-election is also being contested by Berjaya president Dr Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz, Gerakan’s Wendy Subramaniam, and independent candidates Faridah Aryani Abdul Ghaffar and Dr Ng Chuan Lock. – November 6, 2019.