DEMOCRATIC rights group Kuasa predicts that seven seats in Malacca will see close fights in the state elections on Saturday and may decide the incoming state government.

They are Tg Bidara, Asahan, Pantai Kundor, Pengkalan Batu, Lendu, Gadek and Paya Rumput.

At a press conference today, Kuasa president Praba Ganesan said in Tg Bidara, Bersatu candidate Mas Ermieyati Samsudin is likely to put up a tough challenge for her former party, Umno.

“Since Mas Ermieyati has left Umno, the dynamics have changed. Despite Masjid Tanah being a traditional Umno stronghold, Mas Ermieyati has the necessary grassroots support, as can be observed during the division polls last year.

“The point to make is, even if she is seen as an Umno leader locally, there is a significant change where there is a large break away from Umno that exists in Masjid Tanah,” he said.

Praba said her background of being a former Puteri Umno chief also makes her a great social mobiliser.

Kuasa predicts that Mas Ermieyati will also be a likely candidate for Perikatan Nasional’s choice for the chief minister’s post if she and PN win the elections.

In Tg Bidara, Mas Ermieyati, who is also the Masjid Tanah MP, will be facing Malacca Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh and Zainal Hassan of Pakatan Harapan (PH).

For Asahan, Praba named former Malacca chief minister Idris Haron (PH) as a powerful disruptor of Umno votes in the area.

He said it is likely that Idris will win this seat considering is a former chief minister and the fact that many voters are familiar with him.

“Although he was previously in Sg Udang, the fact that he was placed here only goes to show that PKR and Idris are confident of a fighting chance,” he said.

Idris is in a six-cornered fight in Asahan.

For Pantai Kundor, Praba highlighted the Nor Azman Hassan factor. 

Nor Azman was sacked by Umno last month and is contesting on the PH ticket.

He said voters may not be aware of Nor Azman’s sacking from Umno and, therefore, may vote for him, considering he is the incumbent.

“However, Kuasa is unsure how much of Umno’s voter base he will retain and how much he can gain from PH’s base,” he said.

He added that the election campaign has created much confusion among voters since there are no physical political rallies or campaigns, hence, voters would opt for faces that they are familiar with.

Praba said Norhizam Hassan Baktee has a good chance of being re-elected in Pengkalan Batu.

Norhizam is running as an independent. He was elected on the PH ticket in 2018 as a DAP member.

He was among four state assemblymen who withdrew support for chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali, which triggered the elections.

While two of the four – Idris and Nor Azman – have been absorbed by PH parties, the other two, including Norhizam, are without a party.

PN looks strong

Praba said PN, represented by Bersatu and PAS, may triumph over Umno in the election, considering Umno’s dwindling popularity.

“There is no major infighting in the coalition and there is no uncertainty over its leadership,” he said.

“However, for Umno, its president is too distracted with his own political survival and has a poor working relationship with his deputy, Mohamad Hasan.

“Both PH and Umno-led governments have fallen in the last three years and the voters may give PN a chance this time.”

At the event, Kuasa also launched its one-stop candidate overview site and Malacca election analysis webpage.

Kuasa’s webpage, accessible to the public since yesterday, contains information about the elections, the candidates, their promotional material such as videos and other related contents. The webpage also contains the election analysis.

“The page is important to ensure Malacca voters have more than just basic information about the candidates and helps them make an informed decision on who to vote for,” Praba said. – November 18, 2021.