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PH risks marring image if it fields gang of four in Melaka polls

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Its principles will be questioned and voters might punish it, say analysts.

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Free Malaysia Today
Idris Haron (left) and Nor Azman Hassan were among the four whose resignations caused the fall of the Melaka state government. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:
Political analyst Azmi Hassan has cautioned Pakatan Harapan against accepting former Melaka chief minister Idris Haron and his three colleagues into its fold and fielding them in the coming state election.

He said PH’s principles would come into question and it risked being punished by voters.

“By accepting them, I think PH will be demonstrating that it can put its principles aside as long as it can achieve its political objective,” Azmi told FMT. “It will not serve PH’s political purpose. Instead, it will backfire.”

Political scientist Wong Chin Huat said questions would be asked about PH’s stand on party hopping should it accept the four assemblymen, whose resignation caused the fall of the state government.

He noted that PH was strongly critical of those who defected from the coalition in the Sheraton Move.

“PH cannot see party hopping to be good when frogs come to it and bad when frogs go to Barisan Nasional or Bersatu,” he said. “Voters are not blind.”

A recent news report said Idris, who is the assemblyman for Sungai Udang, and Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu) Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor) were planning to contest under the PH banner in the state polls.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said yesterday the party would raise objections if Norhizam, a former DAP member, contested under PH. However, he chose not to comment on Idris, Nor Azman and Effandi.

Azmi said Lim’s lack of opposition to the plan by Idris, Nor Azman and Effandi to contest under PH went against his party’s stand, but he added that he understood the possible value to DAP of collaborating with them in garnering Malay support.

“But it will be very difficult for Idris, Nor Azman and Effandi to attract those who voted for them in 2018 or before if they’re contesting in their old constituencies,” he said.

Wong said the three would face a tough time defending their seats if they did not have strong personal followings.

However, he said DAP had no power to give the thumbs down to candidates of other PH parties unless they were going to contest for seats it was interested in.

Wong expects the PH parties to close ranks in the lead-up to the polls, but he warned that losing the elections would see the coalition’s leadership being called into question for courting the defectors from Umno and Bersatu.

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