One popular narrative being pushed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the general election is for voters to reject the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) to stem the resurgence of tainted leaders like Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
I am no fan of the Umno president, much less his party. But when PH uses the narrative that “one vote for BN is one vote for Zahid”, it shows that the coalition is struggling with political messaging and sends mixed, confusing signals to its electorate.
If PH wants to drive the final nail in Zahid’s political coffin, shouldn’t the coalition train its guns on Bagan Datuk, the constituency in which he is seeking re-election? Rightfully, it should go all out to defeat Zahid there, just like how the late Lim Chong Eu was defeated in the 1990 general election, costing the latter the Penang chief minister’s post.
It is not unheard of for political giants to fall in Malaysian politics. Other giants who suffered such a fate include the late S Samy Vellu in Sungai Siput, Liow Tiong Lai in Bentong, Koh Tsu Koon in 2008 and Lim Kit Siang in 1999.
But PH’s reluctance to train much of its political ammo on Bagan Datuk shows the coalition’s lack of confidence in denying Zahid a chance to win the seat once again, and possibly paving the way for him to be the next prime minister.
If Zahid is defeated in Bagan Datuk, there’s no need for the slogan “one vote for BN is one vote for Zahid” anymore as that would be the end of his political career. The argument is moot.
Instead, PH has been pushing the “one vote for BN is one vote for Zahid” narrative in marginal seats like Sungai Buloh, Kuala Selangor and Pulai. This simply shows that the opposition is not confident of not just its candidates in those areas, but also in taking over Putrajaya.
This goes against the confidence from PH leaders like Anwar Ibrahim and Rafizi Ramli who had earlier said the coalition would regain Putrajaya, which it lost through the “Sheraton Move” in early 2020.
As a voter, I am rather confused by PH’s electoral narrative this time around, unlike in 2018 when it was clear in wanting to topple BN due to corruption scandals like 1MDB.
Unless PH gets its messaging right, it would cost the coalition precious votes and even pave the way for the likes of Zahid to reach the apex of Malaysian politics after Nov 19.
