Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is sidelined in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) as well as in
the Pakatan Harapan coalition as party president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Ismail
and DAP march forward to gain control over his dominance.
Azmin’s plan to have a straight fight for both by-elections
failed to work out as the coalition of
PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) is fielding its candidates in the two
constituencies.
Azmin had wanted a straight fight between only Barisan
Nasional (BN) and PAS in the two constituencies, with parties in Pakatan
Harapan solidly behind the Islamist party.
With BN’s dwindling majority for both constituencies in the
past three general elections, Azmin saw a good chance to win both seats if the
Opposition could get their act together. In the last general election, BN won
Sungai Besar by a mere 399 votes and Kuala Kangsar by 1,082 votes.
However, with the internal rift – within PKR itself where
president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Ismail is reclaiming her authority, and within
Pakatan Harapan where DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng attempts to get even
with Azmin – the menteri besar’s plan was seen, or rather interpreted, as
“trying to enhance and strengthen” his position.
With such views, Azmin’s plan is considered non-beneficial
to the pact because PAS is not a member of Pakatan Harapan and the Islamist
party is only a part of the Selangor government that Azmin heads.
Given such circumstances, the pact had chosen Amanah to
contest as a representative of Pakatan Harapan. This is seen by political analysts
as a move to split PAS votes so that the Islamist party cannot win in both
constituencies.
Being a new and small party, Amanah is not a threat to BN or
PAS. But with DAP’s support, the Chinese voters in Sungai Besar and Kuala
Kangsar are expected to throw weight behind Amanah.
The party is unlikely to win but it can deny PAS the
non-Malay votes which the Islamist party enjoyed during the past general
elections when it was in the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat.
Azmin felt a “rock falling on his head” when PKR
secretary-general Rafizi Ramli lodged a report with the Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on allegations of graft — demands for money
and women — in dealings with the state government.
And when the Pakatan Harapan leadership decided to field its
own candidate from Amanah to contest the two by-elections, Azmin further saw
his dominance slowly eroding.
Azmin is further viewed as a “runaway,” as he was absent
during the announcement of Pakatan Harapan’s candidates for the two
by-elections. Azmin is said to be in London for his son’s graduation.
He may even not attend the nominations for either
constituencies tomorrow as he had let PAS down when he failed to stop Pakatan
Harapan from contesting and support only PAS.
He is probably “on the run” because he failed to deliver the
goods to PAS, a party that had helped him become menteri besar and along with
it, the power and authority to level off with DAP, particularly Lim.
The political arena does not look good for Azmin now and he
is left with no choice but to fight and gain back his authority in both PKR and
Pakatan Harapan.
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