WITH most of the political parties having announced their list of candidates for the 2022 general election, it is clear that there is plenty of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, especially in the Umno camp.

It comes as no surprise that certain warlords aligned to Ismail Sabri Yaakob were blatantly dropped though they have been touted as sure winners in their respective constituencies.

This clearly shows what this general election is all about – nothing more than a desperate attempt by certain individuals to keep themselves out of jail.

This cleansing process also shows that a certain individual is only interested in his self-interests and not those of the party. If he was interested in the party, then he would have surely retained the winnable candidates and not take a gamble with new faces at a crucial time like this.

Not only are these warlords going to be greatly upset, you can be sure that this is going to backfire on Umno, causing it to lose more seats, especially in areas where there is a three-cornered (or more) fight.

At present, the party with the most promising chance for a strong victory is Pakatan Harapan (PH). Voters are very likely to reject Perikatan Nasional and PAS, while many are still sore with Dr Mahathir Mohamad over his role in the Sheraton Move.

The brightest hope right now is PH and of course, the shining stars are Rafizi Ramli and Nurul Izzah Anwar. These two are clearly the torch bearers and play a crucial role in drawing voters.

While voters are naturally drawn to this duo, the rest, especially DAP, must be sure to toe the line and not make last-minute statements that irk voters.

One thing for sure is that DAP must stop washing its dirty linen in public. Any dispute or disagreement over the choice of candidates must be discussed behind closed doors and not aired in the media.

Several DAP members must also learn to be humbler and not be arrogant and cocky around voters.

If PH is given the chance to be the kingmakers in the formation of a unity government, it must not forget its lessons from the past.

Do not be overly excited and do not become greedy. The last time PH was given the chance to govern turned out to be a disaster and this must not recur.

It should choose its leaders wisely and do not stinge on forking out what is necessary to get the rightfully qualified people in place who can guide it towards better governance.

PH may just well have its chance again and many, including voters like me, are placing our hopes on the shoulders of Rafizi and Nurul Izzah to spearhead this challenge.

Stay focused on the electorate, put all personal differences and feelings aside and be devoted to your cause.

Never forget the foundation on which PKR was formed in the first place and never forget the fight to reform Malaysia to become a corruption-free, better nation. – November 2, 2022.

* Sulaiman Yusoff reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.