Barisan Nasional needs a winning formula to regain power in Selangor
“If BN can show and prove its honesty against PAS’s conservative ways, then the non-Malay voters may consider supporting the coalition. I think BN has a strong chance of winning in Selangor if it is committed to an inclusive Malaysia rather than supporting a political party championing conservative ways”
(The Sun Daily) – The Barisan Nasional (BN) needs a winning formula to regain power in Selangor in the next general election.
Political experts say the BN coalition must realise that to take back Selangor, it must move past promoting new faces and making promises to the people.
Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi said the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy has changed the people’s priorities. “Whoever can deliver economic stability that the people desperately need now may hold the key to winning the polls in Selangor,” he told theSun.
The UCSI professor of architecture said working with Pakatan Harapan (PH) may also not be a bad idea for BN.
“BN is not the worst enemy in Malaysian politics, it is PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) that I am most concerned about,” he said.
“They strongly represent a dominant single race and single religion. That is not good for Malaysia,” he said, adding that BN may say it wants to cut ties with PAS, but it probably has some kind of deal going on.
“BN depends on PAS for the Malay vote. However, the recent appointment of Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz as BN Selangor treasurer may offer something new for the people,” he said, adding that Tengku Zafrul does not bring any tainted baggage with him and he is fairly new in politics.
“If BN can show and prove its honesty against PAS’s conservative ways, then the non-Malay voters may consider supporting the coalition. I think BN has a strong chance of winning in Selangor if it is committed to an inclusive Malaysia rather than supporting a political party championing conservative ways,” he said.
Mohd Tajuddin reminded everyone that Malaysia’s independence was based on our unity, and now is the time for the growth of new politics. Working with BN does not mean working with any specific individual.
“It is an agreement to work together for the rakyat. New faces, new morals. All parties should work together as new politics,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Azmi Hassan said replacing the old guard with young blood as suggested by Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently is the best option for the party if it wants to win the 15th general election (GE15).
But this is easier said than done even though the people no longer want to see the same old faces representing them, he said.
Azmi said Umno is in a very delicate situation, where it must ensure a balance between what the members want and what the party needs to do to win over voters.
He said in the state elections in Malacca and Johor, only 30% of the old guard stood for a seat but it will be much harder to convince them not to stand for a parliamentary seat.
“The main problem is that the division leaders who are part of the old guard are still very influential within the party. Their views carry a lot of weight among the grassroots members and Umno depends on them to help get the party machinery working during elections.
“If Umno wants to win seats in GE15, it needs to put the voters first.”
He said voters were unhappy with the older leaders who were also blamed for the political instability in the country, and they want new energetic leaders to lead them into the future.
Azmi also said the old guard cannot be fully replaced, adding that one possible option would be to have a mix, but that would depend on how many leaders were willing to make way for younger leaders.
