PKR’s decision to field personalities from various backgrounds is a strategy to boost their chances of winning the upcoming general election (GE), political analysts said.

They said although certain party leaders may feel disgruntled by this, bringing in personalities from outside the party may have a better reach among the voters.

They added that naming unknown candidates from various backgrounds, especially professionals, could be one of the strategies for PKR and Pakatan Harapan to triumph in the GE.

“This may be accomplished after looking at the current voting pattern of voters, especially in urban and semi-urban areas, who look more at the candidate rather than other factors,” said Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar.

“A study by Ilham Centre found that voters want to look at the abilities of the candidates between competing parties,” he added.

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said fielding unknown candidates as new faces for the GE showed PKR’s willingness in accepting capable candidates outside the party.

“It is a strategy to show that PKR is open to capable candidates, not just their own nominated members.

“It’s not peculiar to PKR, as all parties want to show that they have the support of a wide range of prominent individuals,” he said.

Tunku Mohar said so far PKR president Anwar Ibrahim had announced well-known academics, a person with disability, a religious figure and a former top civil servant as outside candidates.

These candidates have influence over different segments of the voters, he added.On Wednesday, Anwar announced that PKR will field six personalities from various backgrounds and an undergraduate as new candidates representing the party in the GE.

Anwar said they included former secretary-general of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Zainal Azman Abu Seman, former vice-chancellor of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UnisZa) Dr Hassan Basri Awang Mat Dahan, and Nik Omar Nik Abdul Aziz, the eldest son of former PAS spiritual leader, the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Also on the list were Universiti Malaya’s senior lecturer in the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Dr Noraishah Mydin Abdul Aziz, former Selangor Zakat Board chief executive officer Saipolyazan Yusof, and former Malaysian Youth Council president Jufitri Johar.

Anwar said Zainal and Nik Omar will contest in Perak, Hassan will stand in Pahang while Noraishah will run for a seat in Kuala Lumpur.

Saipolyazan will be fielded in Selangor, Jufitri will run in Negri Sembilan and activist Fathin Amelia Fazlie will stand in Perlis.

Winning chances

Although too early to predict, Tunku Mohar was of the opinion that these candidates would have a better chance of winning if they are allowed to contest on safe seats.

“It’s too early to predict. They may have a higher chance of winning if they are fielded in PKR’s safe seats,” he said.

Hisommudin said the chances of these seven individuals also depended on other parties’ candidates.

“If the other parties’ candidates are better or equal, it will be a fierce competition to determine the outcome,” he said.

Hisommudin, however, reckoned that there might be some dissatisfaction among activists and party members in the naming of these individuals as candidates.

He said the party must convince these groups to ensure the method deployed will bear fruit.

“There is a small problem that might arise, which is the dissatisfaction among party activists and supporters,” Hisommudin said.

“If they are not convinced of the new strategy, which might ensure the party’s victory, then it may foster an element of sabotage or protest against these professional candidate.

“This is because throughout this period, party people made a lot of moves, even during the party election, there was a scramble for the party’s highest office at the branch level because they saw this as an opportunity to be a candidate.”

“How many have made investments to ensure their victory in the party election, but when they win, the party chooses an individual outside the party to run,” he added.

Hisommudin said that party members’ displeasure was reasonable.

“When candidates outside the party framework win, it is very difficult for them to cooperate with the local party structure.”

“This may be a major problem if this professional group wins,” he said. – October 29, 2022.