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ARAU – Former Umno warlord Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim will use speculative talk that Umno leaders have a secret pact with Pakatan Harapan (PH) figures in his attack against the party that dropped him as a candidate for the coming election (GE15).
The former Perlis menteri besar, who is defending his Arau parliamentary constituency against his former party, admitted this to The Vibes, saying this perception has traction in the Malay-majority seat.
DAP is a key component in PH, and Shahidan said this will not go down well with Arau voters, of whom more than 80% are Malay.
Despite denials from PH and Umno-BN figures on the matter, Shahidan, who is defending Arau under Perikatan Nasional (PN), said it is a good strategy.
“The Malays generally hate DAP, so it is best to compete with our rivals with one stone that kills all birds,” Shahidan said in an interview.
He is facing BN’s candidate Datuk Rozabil Abdul Rahman and Pejuang’s Abdul Razak Abdul Khalek of the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition.
Shahidan was axed by Umno as a candidate for the 15th general election (GE15) despite having been a party veteran and local chieftain commanding strong support. His move to contest under PN saw him automatically sacked from Umno.
On talk of a secret pact between BN and PH, Shahidan said there are quarters within BN who believe that the coalition does not have enough support to win enough seats to form a federal government on its own.
This has led to theories that BN may have a pact with PH in some seats, fueled in recent days by Pejuang’s Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Shahidan said more Malays are discussing the possibility of such a pact since BN has fielded “outsiders” in seats like Arau, and Padang Besar, the latter also a parliamentary seat in Perlis where the Umno incumbent was not picked as a candidate.
“You forced out candidates who can deliver seats for you in a close election. It means you have a backup plan. It does not include winning seats, but rather collaborating with foes. I see this political haziness as something that is about to become true.
“Everyone knows how Umno selects candidates, but to parachute people in at the last minute, there is a suspicion that Umno is not going all out in this election,” Shahidan said.
The long-time Umno politician said Umno is not going all out in GE15, citing slow movements by its election machinery compared to when it campaigned in the Melaka, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak elections in the last two years.
BN’s sluggishness in GE15 has allowed PN to build up momentum, Shahidan added.
“Is it enough to win over support to form the next government? That remains to be seen. For now, we campaign on the premise that BN is working with PN and DAP, of course. One vote for BN is another for DAP,” Shahidan said.
Gunning for Perikatan
In Perlis, Shahidan is working to ensure that PN wins in the state, but to ensure victory, the incumbent menteri besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man, who is standing in Bintong, must be made to lose the seat, he added.
Azlan will have to fend off challenges from PN’s Fakhrul Anwar Ismail, PH’s Azhari Ahmad, Warisan’s Mohamad Khair Mohd Noor, Pejuang’s Shazwan Suban and independent candidate Datuk Hashim Suboh, formerly from BN.
Meanwhile, Padang Besar incumbent Datuk Seri Zahidi Zainul Abidin said he expects voter turnout to be low in the state due to the infighting.
Zahidi, who was also dropped by Umno, is contesting the Titi Tinggi state seat as an independent.
He said voters are put off by Umno’s infighting and blamed party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for interfering with local politics here.
Gan Ay Ling, who is defending her Indera Kayangan state seat in Perlis for PH, said that the “civil war” between Shahidan and BN may indirectly benefit the opposition coalition, but said it will still be tough due to multi-cornered fights in most seats. – The Vibes, November 11, 2022
