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BN-PH cooperation key to Amanah’s hopes of success in Kelantan, says analyst

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UM’s Tawfik Yaakub says BN and PH should avoid clashes between candidates at the next state polls.

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Amanah president Mohamad Sabu recently said he is confident the party can win a dozen seats in Kelantan at the next state election. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:
Amanah’s ambition to win a dozen state seats in Kelantan can be realised if there is solid cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH), says an analyst.

Universiti Malaya’s (UM) Tawfik Yaakub said although Kelantan is synonymous with PAS, cooperation between BN and PH could possibly recreate the wave of 2004, when BN almost toppled the state government after winning 21 of 45 state seats – with PAS claiming the rest.

Tawfik said such cooperation would include avoiding clashes between candidates, astute seat allocation, and an agreement on the logo to be used by the coalition’s candidates.

“There should be no contests involving three candidates or more… every contest must only be between Amanah and PAS,” he said.

Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub
Tawfik Yaakub.

“In my opinion, Amanah in Kelantan can contest under the BN and PH logos in certain areas. If this is done, it is not impossible for Amanah to win more seats in Kelantan.”

He was commenting on Amanah president Mohamad Sabu’s claim that the party could win a dozen seats in Kelantan at the next state election due to its increasing support from the public.

Amanah currently has one assemblyman in the Kelantan state assembly – Kota Lama’s Hafidzah Mustakim.

Kelantan’s state legislature is dominated by PAS, which has 42 seats. BN holds two seats – Galas and Nenggiri.

Tawfik was also confident that Amanah could penetrate the Malay voter base — which is dominated by PAS and Umno — by leveraging on Hafidzah’s strong performance as an assemblyman.

“Amanah will not be a second or third choice party after Umno and PAS because Amanah has a loyal grassroots base compared with Bersatu, which lacks strong grassroots support,” he said.

“The party will grow rapidly if it immediately adds quality members… and becomes an alternative moderate Islamic movement party.”

Azmi Hassan
Azmi Hassan.

Another analyst, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, also believes Amanah could cause a stir in the next state election if Umno and PKR support the party.

He said the dynamics between PAS and Amanah is unique given their history.

Amanah is a splinter party which broke away from PAS in 2015 following the latter’s departure from the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

“If Amanah has the correct strategy, perhaps their president’s dreams could become a reality,” he said.

“Perhaps this time, Amanah can win more state legislative assembly seats if Umno allows flexibility in seat selection in Kelantan.”

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