GE15: Pakatan leaders reeling from M. Karupaiya’s death after anticipating victory in polls

PADANG SERAI – Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders are still recovering from the shock of their party colleague M Karupaiya’s sudden demise, especially as they were looking forward to him winning the Padang Serai parliamentary seat in Kedah as a favourite in the 15th general election.

Karupaiya, who was PKR’s Padang Serai division head, succumbed to the effects of a heart attack yesterday.

On Monday, he was among those who spoke at a rally attended by PH chairman and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail with Kedah PH chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar of Amanah.

Minutes after he came down, he fell and was helped to his seat.

Mahfuz recalled that he had informed Karupaiya to go home and seek medical attention, and the PKR leader had gestured that he would do so but not before uttering “kita boleh” (“we can” – one of PH’s battlecries in the election).

Karupaiya was a hardened leader due to his military training, and his conviction in PH and PKR should inspire the coalition to dominate the election, said Mahfuz.

Mahfuz said that it is a big setback, as Padang Serai was considered one of the seats PH could deliver to the coalition in a tough battle for the hearts and minds of Kedah voters in the midst of the presence of four coalitions there.

Unlike other states, Gerakan Tanah Air, led by Pejuang president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has a foothold in Kedah due to the fact that both Mahathir and his son, former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, are Kedahans.

Then, there is the Perikatan Nasional (PN) led by PAS elections director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who is the present menteri besar, and Barisan Nasional (BN) spearheaded by former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, an Umno vice-president, and state party leader Datuk Suraya Yaacob.

PH is aiming for at least six out of the 15 parliamentary seats in the state, which is almost similar to what it had achieved in the election of 2018. But at that time, the coalition included Bersatu, which has since left and is now part of PN.

Perlis blues for BN

Meanwhile, in Perlis, political warlord Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, who is defending Arau as a direct nominee of PN, remains optimistic about retaining his seat despite that being up against the entire state BN machinery.

Shahidan said that he has the support of his constituents as he has been there for them for over four decades, while PN, through PAS, is eager to help him. 

“My calling card is I am campaigning to unite the ummah (Muslim congregation) in the country. Only through such unity can we govern the country well,” he said.

BN has ruled the nation’s smallest state since independence, but now it is under siege, having to fight both PN and PH.

The situation is worsened for BN, as Shahidan and another warlord Datuk Seri Zahidi Zainul Abidin are working against the coalition.

Both Shahidan and Zahidi, Umno Supreme Council members and members of the past cabinet, were expelled from BN for standing against the coalition in Perlis.

Zahidi said that he hopes to capture either the state seat of Titi Tinggi or Padang Besar, although half of his division has decided to support the BN candidate Zahida Zarik Khan, who is the Puteri Umno head. – The Vibes, November 17, 2022