Commentary: Why Mahathir’s leadership of the opposition confuses Kedah voters
Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s candidacy for prime minister has thrown voters into disarray, says one expert at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Serina Rahman, Channel News Asia
It has been an eventful past two weeks in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) calendar.
With seat allocations settled and Dr Mahathir Mohamed and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail named candidates for prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively, pundits are flooding the media with predictions and projections.
Last week, Ibrahim Suffian of Merdeka Centre called the next general election for UMNO given PAS’s plans to contest 40 parliamentary seats across Malaysia.
The theory is PAS contesting in three-cornered fights would be instrumental in splitting votes going to the opposition, especially the Malay vote. Experts say this plays into the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN)’s hand and contributes to their chances of scoring a much desired goal of a two-thirds majority in parliament.
PAS is losing its appeal. A survey commissioned by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Johor showed that PAS received only lukewarm responses from Malay respondents.
My research in rural areas in a few states including Kedah which PAS wrestled from the BN in 2008 corroborates these views – questions about PAS often elicit a noncommittal, even wholly uninterested response.
It seems PAS has become the “no other choice so PAS is my second choice” vote simply because its conservative Muslim credentials hold some appeal for Malay voters.
How credible then is their ability to retake Kedah?
