COMMENTARY, Aug 10 — PAS appears to have the advantage in the campaign for the Kedah state election this Saturday.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will try to turn the tide on the last day of campaigning, with a grand finale tomorrow night to convince any remaining neutral Malay voters.
However, local observers of the campaign expressed doubt over a Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional victory.
Anwar previously declared Kedah as the battleground in the state elections that he is using to win Malays over to his unity government. However, the ideology of the rival party PAS is entrenched among the Malays in the state.
The PH chairman has made some inroads in Kedah with his development narrative, but not to the level of winning the state election.
Voters here predict that PH-BN might win 15 seats in the state, but are holding off on their final judgment until Anwar’s speech tomorrow.
PH-BN campaigners are working to convince any remaining fence-sitter, but have struggled as many have ties to caretaker Kedah Menteri besar Datuk Seri Sanusi Md Nor who is directing the Perikatan Nasional campaign.
Sanusi managed to make himself popular in the months before the state election and is now regarded as a hero by PN supporters, especially those below 25 years’ old.
Locals said the attacks on Sanusi have only increased the support for and loyalty to him, making it harder to PH-BN campaigners to approach his supporters.
They also said the lawsuits and charges against the PAS leader have created sympathy towards him and his party.
They said Anwar has started winning over voters above 40 with talk of economic development badly needed in the state, but this has not resonated with those younger.
After 12 days of campaigning, PH-BN campaigners appear to have hit a wall.
It is now up to Anwar to try and overcome this tomorrow.
