AMPANG – Umno’s number two Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan may be in for a rude shock when election day results are out, as data indicates a possible defeat for him in the Rembau parliamentary seat, said PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
Rafizi said data gathered by his technology and data analytics company Invoke Malaysia showed that Negri Sembilan is expected to yield a major surprise that will favour Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 15th general election (GE15).
His survey, which covered “thousands of voters” found that support for PH today is as strong as when the opposition entered the 2018 national polls.
“In fact, in some states, the support is far superior. And the state that has shown great performance is Negri Sembilan,” he said when addressing some 500 supporters at a mega ceramah here last night.
“If based on the current trend, we are leading in Negri Sembilan, and if things work out, there will be a major surprise coming from the state. So Tok Mat (Mohamad), be careful. Rembau is not safe,” said Rafizi, who will be contesting in Pandan in GE15.
“What’s sadder for Tok Mat is if after tossing Khairy Jamaluddin to Sg Buloh and thinking he is safe, he then goes on to lose Rembau. The support for PH in Negri Sembilan now is better than in 2018.”
Rafizi was referring to Mohamad’s decision to take on Rembau, forcing Khairy to give up the seat held for three consecutive terms prior to this election.
Umno has moved Khairy to Sg Buloh, previously won by PKR’s Sivarasa Rasiah by a handsome majority of over 26,000.
According to Rafizi, another state that shows great potential for PH is the federal territories.
“If we get our strategy right, we can make a clean sweep,” he said. There are 11 parliamentary seats in the Kuala Lumpur federal territories.
For Selangor, Rafizi said although more effort is needed in the state, he sees no problem for PH to win either 19 or 20 of the 22 federal seats on offer.
Similarly, the PKR man said a little more push is required for Melaka and Johor in order for the coalition to match its performance in the 2018 election.
Rafizi added that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s charge in Perak could see at least three Parliament seats swinging to PH, including those previously never won by the opposition bloc.
“This means, God willing, PH’s stronghold of Penang, Selangor, the federal territories and now Negri Sembilan will be safe with us.”
Zahid’s miscalculation
Rafizi also said Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s insistence to push for an early election, purportedly after seeing the party score landslide victories in Melaka and Johor, may be a miscalculated move.
“He thinks the result in the states will reflect the result of the general election. That was why he insisted on having the election, regardless of the flooding season.
“Based on his calculation, by doing elections now, there will be low voter turnout, similar to Johor and Melaka (which will favour Barisan Nasional).”
However, Rafizi noted Zahid’s prediction did not take into account other data, which he said may prove the Umno chief wrong. – The Vibes, November 6, 2022
