COMMENTARY, Aug 11 — Six states will hold elections tomorrow after two weeks of intense campaigning.
The fiercest campaign has been in Kedah, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the unity pact and caretaker menteri besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Mohd Nor for Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Sanusi’s criticism of Anwar’s government has made him popular with Kedah voters, especially the youth.
The elections tomorrow will gauge Malay voters’ support for Anwar as well as for PN’s PAS and Bersatu.
PAS wants to take over the federal government while Bersatu wants to eliminate Umno. Bersatu is the dominant party in PN but has no grassroots support and has relied on PAS’ machinery since the general election, sharing its popularity.
The results of tomorrow’s state elections will not affect the federal government, but will let Anwar know if he has the support of Malay voters in the country.
For PN, endorsement from the Malay voters would raise its spirits and let it claim to represent the community. This will strengthen its parties’ position for the next general election due in four years’ time.
If they fail to maintain their existing seats, however, then their position will be weakened, especially Bersatu that may cease to be relevant in the country.
Currently, PAS controls Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu while the unity government holds Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Penang.
The unity government has campaigned hard to penetrate Kedah and Kelantan, but has not done enough to convince either.
Given such a scenario, the state elections will not be a referendum on Anwar’s performance as the prime minister, as some analysts have suggested.
It is just a yardstick of Malay support for the federal government.
