Pakatan’s nomination ‘mess’ shows unpreparedness, analysts say

(MMO) – Political analysts bemoaned the loss of several Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidates nationwide, even before the fight for Malaysia had actually started.

Those polled by Malay Mail said the candidates’ failure to prepare the necessary documentation on perhaps one of the biggest days of their lives highlighted the carelessness and lack of preparation on the Opposition pact’s side.

“This shows that the candidates are careless,” political analyst Azizuddin Mohd Sani said.

“It also shows that Pakatan Harapan didn’t prepare very well for this election process.”

The professor predicted that the kerfuffle will be exploited by ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) during the campaigning period, but he predicted PH will eventually be able to refocus voters on other policy issues.

Yesterday, PKR’s Wangsa Maju candidate Dr Tan Yee Kew forgot her MyKad, but managed to get her nomination through using a photocopied version of her identification card.

But other candidates were not as lucky: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (PPBM) Bukit Pasir candidate Pizi Jihat and PKR’s Tawang candidate Mohd Azihan Che Seman were both disqualified due to improper documentation.

PKR’s Dr Mohd Hafidz Rizal Amran in Kuala Balah and PPBM’s Yaakob Osman in Penaga were also disqualified after being declared bankrupt.

The biggest upset however was for PKR’s Streram Sinnasamy in Balah, who forgot his EC pass and was denied entry. This had gifted caretaker Negeri Sembilan mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan to win unopposed, making it BN’s first win.

“But, at the end of the day, it’s five candidates out of hundreds, so it’s not a major issue,” Azizuddin said.

Meanwhile, Universiti Utara Malaysia’s Kartini Aboo Talib said the missteps would affect voters’ trust.

“This is a serious day for nomination. All procedures must be followed. If a candidate fails to follow simple instruction how can voters hand over their trust?” the associate professor asked.

”This is not the act of ignorance but more of their careless attitude. Even SPM students check their identification to sit for the exams. EC even has a guideline book published for candidates,” she added.

Similarly, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Azmi Hassan described the incidents as a “mess”, claiming it was poor organisation on PH’s part.

“Will this poor organisational skill reflect on the way PH will run its campaigns? I think most probably so.

“It seemed that only the big guns of PH were being looked after so that they won’t face any problems during nominations process,” he said.

“For the rest of its candidates, they were left to their own to ensure that all is smooth. This type of modus operandi will surely reflect during campaign and this will surely hurt PH chances,” he added.

Despite Azmi’s claim, big names were not immune to incidents, with PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang barred from contesting in Batu after the returning officer cited the judgment grounds of his RM2,000 fine imposed by the High Court in March as punishment for outraging the modesty of a police officer on duty.

The MP known as Tian Chua had held the seat since 2008. He has since lodged a police report against the disqualification.

Campaigning started last night, and Malaysia will vote on May 9.