PAKATAN Harapan (PH) has equal opportunity of winning Kedah from Perikatan Nasional (PN) in state elections, said Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. 

Although the priority is to retain the current three states held by PH, the PKR secretary-general said the coalition will fight to claim Kedah. 

“We think PH’s chances remain balanced in Kedah,” he told reporters after attending the PH presidential council meeting today at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya. 

“The focus is to defend the three states currently ruled by PH, namely, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Penang. 

“In general, the PH leadership has placed such confidence based on the current study,” he added. 

Saifuddin, who is also home minister, said they will send a strong opposition voice in Kelantan and Terengganu, even if the coalition does not end up winning the states.

He said PH leaders have not held detailed discussions for preparations for state elections. 

Six states – Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu – decided not to dissolve their state assemblies and hold their polls simultaneously with the general election. 

Only Pahang, Perak and Perlis held their polls concurrently with the national elections. 

Sabah, Malacca, Johor and Sarawak had already held state polls prior to the general election. 

The six states whose polls are pending need to call elections by September. 

Penang has been a stronghold of PH’s DAP since 2008 when it ousted the Barisan Nasional state government. PH (then Pakatan Rakyat) won Selangor in 2008. 

Only in 2018 did PH finally capture Negri Sembilan. – January 7, 2023.