Azmin sidelined, Wan Azizah regain control in dual election

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.