PAS braces for last-minute push
As the clock counts down to the polling day of the Tenang by-election slated for this Sunday, PAS is already bracing themselves for a last-minute push.
While mentally preparing themselves for a defeat which is almost a foregone conclusion, their objective has always been to reduce BN’s majority from the 2,492 votes the coalition managed during the 2008 general election.
As the clock counts down to the polling day of the Tenang by-election slated for this Sunday, PAS is already bracing themselves for a last-minute push.
While mentally preparing themselves for a defeat which is almost a foregone conclusion, their objective has always been to reduce BN’s majority from the 2,492 votes the coalition managed during the 2008 general election.
But from the looks of it, even to deny Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s 5,000-vote majority target is already a small measure of victory for the Pakatan Rakyat.
And the next few days are certainly crucial for both sides.
While PAS will be continuing their almost nightly ceramah in the usual spots at the Felda settlements and the traditional Malay kampungs, they will also be intensifying their door-to-door visits - a move which they think works best among the 7,014 (making up 47.5 percent) Malay voters here.
“Our biggest challenge here is to ensure that all our information that we gave out during press conferences can be delivered to all the voters.
“The Malay voters here are still too dependent on the mainstream media. So house-to-house visits are still the best way to go,” said PAS Johor deputy commissioner Dzulkefly Ahmad (left).
When speaking to Malaysiakini, Dzulkefly remains cautiously optimistic, saying that things for PAS have improved since the last general election, which has now been termed as a ‘political tsunami’.
“We have a lot more manpower now compared to 2008 because we can mobilise our supporters from all over the state. Somehow, things are also better now. We used to never be able to get into Kampung Paya Merah but now we can,” he said.
Depending on DAP for Chinese votes
But in a constituency where a whopping 80 percent of the Malay voters supported BN back in 2008, it only leaves a small margin of fence sitters that PAS can convince.
Not having too lofty ideals about voter sentiment especially in the state of Johor, PAS is only looking at increasing Malay votes for them by 10 percent.
“I think that’s a pretty reasonable figure. We are not too optimistic, but neither are we too pessimistic. I’m just being realistic,” said Dzulkefly.
With that, all eyes are fixed on the Chinese and Indian voters, making up a combined tally of 51.14 percent.
And it is the DAP machinery that PAS needs to depend on to deliver, with hopes that the Chinese support for them can increase from 55 percent in 2008 to 70 percent.
“We have a very good cooperation with our friends in DAP,” he said.
Needless to say, DAP has poised themselves at the forefront of a very aggressive campaign, with the party workers wearing a uniform of bright red T-shirts with the campaign slogan of “change” written in Chinese calligraphy.
PKR missing in action
Despite much fanfare during the nomination day when both PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and deputy president Azmin Ali, together with their battalion of leaders and followers, flooded the streets, not much has been seen of the party during six days of campaigning so far.
However, Dzulkefly remains diplomatic about his Pakatan cousins.
“Well, PKR has a very small branch in Labis, and there is not much manpower from them in Johor.
“Hopefully they can come up with some manpower in the latter part of the campaign, maybe on Saturday or Sunday,” he said.
At the same time, almost all parties are already starting to floor the pedal tonight itself.
Muhyiddin himself is expected for a full-frontal assault on the Chinese and Indian voters, beginning with a dinner at the predominantly Chinese area of Tenang Station followed by a ponggal festival at SJK(C) Labis.
Pakatan is also flooding Tenang with their own set of heavyweights including DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and Teng Chang Khim; PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim and PAS’ Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Abdul Hadi Awang and Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin.
In a straight fight, BN’s Mohd Azahar Ibrahim squares off with PAS’ Normala Sudirman.
