Prominent leaders across the political divide descended on important battleground Selangor to rally in order to help their candidates at Saturday morning’s nomination for the Aug 12 vote that will decide who controls six states across Malaysia. The fresh, first time happening polls to elect six state governments just eight months after a general election will see the Premier’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) and the Umno-led BN campaign together for the first time, after many years of stringent enmity.
The two parties against each other got together and joined hands after last November’s general election provided Malaysia a first time hung Parliament. The alliance accepted Datuk Seri Anwar to take power in a unity government, which includes East Malaysian parties that control the states of Sabah and Sarawak. But former premier Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN), the main occupant of Parliament’s opposition bench, is bullish about getting gains instead of the coming up in opposition to the collaborative PH-BN machinery.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president and his colleagues are looking forward to end 15 years of Mr Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) rule in Selangor, a consequence that would bring up PN’s momentum as it seeks to woo defectors from the unity government. Most observers have their opinion which states that three states now ruled by PAS – Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu – will continue to be in the Islamist party’s hands, whilst two PH-held states – Penang and Negeri Sembilan – should go on to be under unity government control.