Analysts: BN can secure bigger majority in Sg Besar
SUNGAI BESAR: With polling less than 24 hours away in the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election, Barisan Nasional is confident of securing a bigger majority than in the last general election.
Political analysts foresee the coalition getting more than the 399-vote majority obtained by the late Noriah Kasnon in 2013.
Prof Dr Azmi Hassan, a geo-strategist at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Perdana School, said that for the BN to achieve this target, there must be a voter turnout of at least 80%.
He said the target was not difficult to achieve because of the expected “winds of change” among the Chinese voters in Sekinchan where the majority had rejected BN in the last general election.
Azmi said the winds of change were partly due to the release this week of two fishermen from Sekinchan detained by the Indonesian authorities, as well as the presence of Parti Amanah Negara in the by-election which he felt had confused the voters.
“If the percentage of voter turnout is low, then BN can depend on the winds of change among the Chinese voters in Sekinchan, besides the factor of the Selangor Menteri Besar (Mohamed Azmin Ali) being divided in his support of the candidates (from PAS and Amanah).
“Therefore, there is a big possibility that Pakatan Harapan supporters are also confused and this could benefit Barisan Nasional,” he told Bernama.
He said fence-sitters also played a big role in determining the majority of votes.
At the same time, Azmi said the wide media coverage of the by-election would ensure that many Sungai Besar voters living outside the constituency would return to vote.
Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Prof Mohd Fuad Mat Jali, forecast that BN would be able to secure a majority of about 1,000 votes.
However, he added, BN could attain a bigger majority if it maximised the party machinery in Sungai Besar as well as brought home voters living outside.
The Sungai Besar by-election is a three-cornered fight among Budiman Mohd Zohdi of BN, Dr Abdul Rani Othman of PAS and Azhar Abdul Shukur of Amanah.
It is being held following the death of Noriah, who was deputy plantation industries and commodities minister, in a helicopter crash in Sarawak on May 5.
– BERNAMA
Post a Comment