Easier to get Pakatan supporters to vote for BN than vice versa: Rafizi

SHAH ALAM – The main challenge in any electoral pact between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) for the upcoming state elections will be to get BN supporters to vote for PH, rather than the other way around, PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli said today.

He said there is strong evidence that PH supporters are more open to accepting the formation of the unity government at the federal level, as opposed to those from BN. 

This, he said, meant it would be easier for the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led coalition to garner support from its BN allies should the two political outfits strike an agreement to enter the state polls as partners. 

In view of this, Rafizi said he is less concerned about retaining PH votes than about convincing BN supporters.

“The majority of the people who support and understand the reality of the unity government are the PH supporters, especially those in the urban and semi-urban areas, 

“The job of convincing supporters is even more complicated for BN,” said Rafizi at a press conference on the sidelines of the Selangor PKR election convention, here, today.

However, the economy minister said negotiations between PH and BN for a possible electoral pact for the state polls have yet to start, but confirmed that a decision on the matter will be made soon. 

He also said while such cooperation is possible, the process will depend on developments within Umno, BN’s linchpin party, which is due to hold its own elections before May 19.

“Based on what I have seen, it is possible that we will cooperate, but it all depends on the internal situation of Umno,” said Rafizi.

On a PH-BN pact’s chances of winning in Selangor, Rafizi said mathematically, based on the result of the last Selangor election in 2018, the two coalitions combined should be able to win 53 of the 56 seats in the state.

However, he added that this may not be the case as the coming state polls will also be influenced by several other factors. 

“It all comes down to the sentiment of the voters, as well as the transferability of the votes.

“It is uncertain if those voting for BN will vote for PH, and vice-versa,” said the Pandan MP.

Asked if a change in Umno’s leadership could influence the result of the state elections, Rafizi said the performance of the federal government in the next few months will play the biggest factor. 

“For states like Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Penang, the result of the state elections will rely heavily on the performance of the federal government. 

“Voters in these states place the utmost importance on the improvement of the economy,” said the minister. 

He also said any change in Umno’s leadership should not affect the government because of the pact signed between both coalitions in the unity government.

“We all made an agreement that any internal change in leadership among the parties will not affect the government.

“All the members of each party have already committed to this agreement through a long process of decision-making, and even if there was a change in leadership, they would have to go through the process again,” said Rafizi. – The Vibes, January 14, 2023