AMANAH grassroots leaders in Perak are disappointed that the smallest member of Pakatan Harapan will have to contest the 14th general election in the Lumut parliamentary seat, a fight deemed difficult for the opposition because of its new electoral boundaries.

Party members working Amanah Perak’s machinery believe PH will lose the seat, won by PKR in the 2013 general election by 8,168 votes, by more than 2,000 votes at the 14^th general election.

The pessimism is based on the recent re-delineation exercise, which shifted 29,348 voters from the Sitiawan state seat, which had been under the Lumut federal seat, to Beruas, another federal seat.

Sitiawan, which is under the DAP, was the biggest contributor to PKR’s win in Lumut in 2013. DAP has won Sitiawan with increasing majorities each election since 2004. In 2013, the party won by nearly 12,000 votes. 

With Sitiawan removed if the re-delineation is passed by Parliament, only the Pasir Panjang and Pangkor constituencies will remain under Lumut.

“Lumut was not our target seat because we have no machinery there. We have only machinery in Pasir Panjang,” Perak Amanah chairman Asmuni Awi told The Malaysian Insight.

This is another blow to the PAS splinter party after losing the Titiwangsa federal seat it was eyeing to Bersatu under PH’s recently concluded seat allocations.

According to Asmuni, Lumut was meant to be handed to Bersatu. But the party led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad wanted the Titiwangsa federal seat so that it could have a lawmaker from Kuala Lumpur.

Amanah has been hoping to win in Titiwangsa after PAS, which seized it in 2008, lost it to BN in 2013. Umno minister Johari Abdul Ghani is the incumbent.

Still feeling the sting after having to give up Titiwangsa to Bersatu, Asmuni, who was formerly PAS treasurer, said: “Two men fight for a woman, and suddenly decide to resolve the dispute by offering our wife. It’s not right.”

Coalition v party interests

In PH’s seat allocations among its four parties a fortnight ago, Amanah was given 27 federal seats in the peninsula to contest. Bersatu has 52, PKR (51) and DAP (35).

Besides Lumut, Amanah was also given three other federal seats – Parit, Parit Buntar and Bukit Gantang – a total of four out of 24 parliamentary seats in Perak.

Asmuni said Amanah Perak is also disappointed not landing the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat, which has been the focus of its machinery since a by-election there last year.

A fairer number of federal seats for the party in the peninsula would have been 30 to 33, instead of the 27 it received, he said.

It is not about being greedy but more about what is appropriate for Amanah’s position as a PH member.

“Amanah cannot only be looking out for PH’s interests alone but the interests of its own party. I hope this will be a lesson to us when negotiating the allocation for state seats.”

But Amanah communications director Khalid Samad defended the decision, calling it a sacrifice in the interest of the opposition pact.

“Indeed, during negotiations we wanted the Titiwangsa seat instead of Lumut.

“It was a sacrifice when we released Titiwangsa to Bersatu for the sake of PH,” the Shah Alam MP told The Malaysian Insight.

Further, the re-delineation exercise had not been a huge factor in seat negotiations because it was still uncertain.

“After all, if we say that Lumut will be won by BN (Barisan Nasional) because of the re-delineation, the Titwangsa seat was won by BN even before the re-delineation.

Khalid believes that Amanah still has a chance in Lumut because of Bersatu’s members who were former Umno supporters.

Amanah can also win Lumut provided the party machinery in Perak works hard in the remaining time left before GE14, he added. – January 15, 2018.