KULIM – With 72 hours to go before polling starts at the Padang Serai parliamentary by-election, both Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) are set to deploy their big guns to seek support in the working-class constituency.
PH plans to bring in newly appointed Economic Minister Rafizi Ramli, who will be speaking atop a campaign truck at Padang Awam Kg Tuanku Putra in Jalan Kelang Lama.
Also, for the first time since the formation of the unity government, Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will be appearing alongside former rivals Rafizi and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu later tonight.
Rafizi is expected to drive home the point that PH candidate Mohamed Sofee Razak is the best person to represent the diverse demographics at Padang Serai following the advent of the national unity government.
Sofee has since acknowledged that while the votes of Chinese and Indian minorities as well as others count, there is also a tremendous growth of Malay constituents, which is why PH opted to field him in the by-election.
“But under PH, all would receive attention as the message is that PH will focus on those who deserve aid, not those under cronyism or nepotism,” he said.
The by-election is set to be held on December 7. The Election Commission had postponed polls for the constituency due to the sudden passing of PH candidate M. Karupaiya, 69, on November 19.
Not to be outdone by its opponents in the unity government, PN will be bringing in its chairman and former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to campaign in the semi-rural constituency from 3pm onwards.
Muhyiddin will also attend a mega ceramah at Tapak Bazaar in Taman Selasih with PN candidate Datuk Azman Nasrudin and former Perlis menteri besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, as well as Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
Shahidan is expected to advance the narrative that PN has more support than BN or PH put together and a victory in Padang Serai will serve to demonstrate this.
Political scientist Sivamurugan Pandian sees PN as having the momentum now because the coalition made inroads in Perlis and Kedah during the election.
But with PH and BN leaders coming together, there is still hope for PH to regain the advantage with just days of campaigning left, he noted.
Padang Serai has 133,767 eligible voters, with 81,230 of them in the Lunas state constituency and the remaining 52,546 in the Merbau Pulas state constituency.
In terms of ethnicity, 70.11% are Bumiputera, 15.11% Indian, and 14.16% Chinese. Others account for 0.52% in the constituency. – The Vibes, December 5, 2022
