MELAKA – The humbling defeat suffered by Barisan Nasional (BN) in May 2018 at federal and several state levels has served as a lesson to coalition candidates in the Melaka election not to underestimate their rivals.
This especially rings true for Umno’s Datuk Khaidhirah Abu Zahar – the daughter of former state chief minister (CM) Datuk Seri Abu Zahar Ithnin – who will be making her election debut in the Rim constituency.
The late Abu Zahar, who led the state from May 1997 to December 1999, had also once served as the Melaka assembly speaker.
In an interview with The Vibes, Khaidhirah – or more popularly known as Dira – said she will not take things for granted or put herself in the comfort zone just yet, despite indications pointing to an easy victory.
“In any competition, regardless of whoever is contesting, we will never feel relieved until the result is out. No matter how big or small the competitors are, old-timers or newcomers, to me, everyone has an advantage.”
Khaidhirah will be contesting against relative unknowns in the coming November 20 polls, where she faces Melaka PKR Youth chief Prasanth Kumar Brakasam and Bersatu’s Azalina Abdul Rahman.
The Rim seat has been a BN stronghold, with its linchpin Umno and fellow component MCA bagging every single election in the constituency since it was created in 1959.
The closest an opponent got to winning the seat was in 2018 when PKR information chief Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin came within an inch of clinching a historic win, losing by a mere 536 votes (a 4.7% majority).
With Shamsul now contesting in Paya Rumput, Khaidhirah said this is not an excuse for her to sit comfortably, citing the last general election as an example of what could happen if one was to be complacent.
“We were soaring above the sky before this, nobody expected BN to lose in 2018. You tell me what sorts of machinery didn’t we have, what kind of programmes didn’t we do,” the law graduate said.
“We didn’t expect PH (Pakatan Harapan) to win. So, for me, I never underestimate others just because I’m from BN, contesting in a BN fortress. Things change, people’s expectations change. (There’s) a lot of things we need to keep up.”
Meeting people’s expectations
On being the daughter of a former CM and popular state figure, Khaidhirah said this has its pros and cons – the advantage being that many people recognise her, and the downside being the added pressure on her shoulders to deliver.
“I need to meet the people’s expectations. They have known my father for so long, so I need to keep up and manage that expectation.
“Be that as it may, everyone has their own style, whether or not you are the daughter of a YB. Now, you are to become your own YB. I cannot compare myself with my parents or grandparents. I have to think about how to move forward.”
The late Abu Zahar had also held a slew of other positions, including being a multiple-term assemblyman and MP, as well as a parliamentary secretary for the home minister.
Abu Zahar’s father, Datuk Ahmad Ithnin, himself was a politician and Umno veteran, similarly winning a number of elections at the state and federal levels.
On Umno’s pick for the Melaka CM position, Khaidhirah said both incumbent Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali and party state chief Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh have their respective strengths to lead.
“They have their own styles. So, to compare between both, I have no issue with them. Each one has his advantages.
“We can’t be comparing them, saying one is stern and the other is soft. At the end of the day, you want what’s best for your people. The intention has to be about the people,” she said.
She was asked to comment on calls from certain segments within Umno wanting Rauf to be appointed to the state’s top post. Umno has already announced that Sulaiman is the party’s poster boy and will lead the administration if it wins. – The Vibes, November 14, 2021
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