PKR optimistic to clinch seat if turnout passes 80%
Written by Yong Min Wei, The Edge
KUALA KUBU BHARU: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is optimistic to clinch the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat if voter turnout surpasses 80% coupled with strong support from outstation voters.
A party insider said that a huge majority of the estimated 13,000 outstation voters that are returning to vote would favour PKR, adding that many between ages 21 and 40 believed in the “reformasi” agenda and were against racial politics.
“We know they (outstation voters) are back in full force if the turnout exceeds 80%. I’m confident we would have sealed the seat with a clear majority should turnout hits 85%,” he told The Edge Malaysia on Sunday, April 25.
The party insider pointed out that besides the strong base supporters from the three races, PKR was hoping to secure at least a third of the voters from the three Felda settlements in Hulu Selangor.
He added that with voter turnout now hovering on the 50% mark, the possibility of 80% was certainly within reach as there were also sizable local factory and plantation workers who have pledged support for PKR and expected to cast their vote in the afternoon.
Asked if he expected a “Bagan effect” to take place here, the insider who is also a senior leader said: “A semi-Bagan is likely… I believe we can defend the seat with 2,000 plus votes since evaluating the ground sentiment today.”
In September 1995, Bagan was nicknamed ‘Bandar Democracy’ after a by-election saw DAP’s Lim Hock Seng overcame a strong Barisan Nasional (BN) challenge to win by a whopping 11,802 vote majority. The by-election was called after the death of DAP MP P Patto who had won by a razor-thin 118 votes in the general election five months earlier.
The insider added PKR believed it had won the “psychological war” with the fence-sitters thanks to its concerted effort by Pakatan Rakyat’s component parties that have managed to defend the opposition policies and promises of good governance and combating corruption.
The Election Commission (EC) announced that the voter turnout reached 49.04% as at noon with results expected to be known earliest by 8pm if there is no recount. The Hulu Selangor seat saw a voter turnout of 75.24% in the last general election.
PKR candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and BN’s P Kamalanathan have declined to comment further on their chances when contacted on Sunday and is leaving it to the hands of the 64,500 to decide their fate.
Meanwhile, an aide to Kamalanathan said the candidate was happy with high turnout in the morning, adding that there seemed to be no confusion with the 14,000 voters where the EC had changed their polling centres earlier.
“Polling is smooth and we are hoping for the best… We believe the people will give BN a chance in this constituency since Pakatan is already ruling the state.”
“We have run a positive campaign from the beginning. We have managed to reach out to almost all the voters in the past eight days thanks to our brothers and sisters in BN,” he said.
He added that BN have pledged to fulfil all its promises to the people of Hulu Selangor no matter the outcome, stressing that a win would be meaningful to the prime minister’s 1Malaysia concept.
