Is Anwar missing his best shot to knock out Azmin, asks analyst
Anwar Ibrahim may want to show he has credible support among the Malay community by standing in Tambun, says an analyst. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: PKR president Anwar Ibrahim is missing out on the best chance to teach his former deputy Azmin Ali “a big lesson”, says an analyst.
On Thursday, Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar confirmed he will contest the Tambun seat in the 15th general election (GE15), this after previously suggesting he will go for a seat held by one of the coalition’s “traitors”.
While he did not reveal which parliamentary seat he was referring to, political observers took this to mean he would face off against Azmin, the former Gombak MP whose defection from PKR along with 10 other party leaders resulted in the collapse of the PH government in February 2020 in an incident known as the Sheraton Move.
“If Anwar really faces Azmin head on, it will teach the latter a big lesson. Anwar would be seen as a real gentleman, a real hero,” said Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir.
Jeniri also said alternatively, Anwar should throw his hat in the ring in Ampang for a potential clash with former PKR vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin, who followed Azmin in switching to Bersatu but has since quit the party to join Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).
“I think that’s the biggest question now. Why is he choosing Tambun and not the other two seats to face off against Azmin or Zuraida once and for all?,” said Jeniri.
“For me, this (GE15) is the best chance to knock them out. They caused problems that led to PH being toppled. He is missing the opportunity to teach them a big lesson. I, for one, don’t really understand this.”
At an event with journalists at a hotel here on Sept 28, Anwar said he would pick areas held by traitors to send them a message that “treachery in politics is not acceptable”.
“Gombak? Not necessarily, but I’m not ruling it out,” he said.
Anwar was the Port Dickson MP prior to Parliament being dissolved. He had been MP for Permatang Pauh in Penang for five terms between 1982 and 2015.
Former Perak menteri besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu is the incumbent in the Tambun seat. The Bersatu deputy president, who won the seat on a PH ticket in GE14, said on Friday that he would be defending the seat and welcomed all challengers.
On why Anwar chose Tambun, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said he felt the opposition leader was out to regain Perak for PH, which the coalition won in GE14 before Perikatan Nasional (PN) took over after the Sheraton Move.
Having won parliamentary seats in Penang and Negeri Sembilan, Fauzi said Anwar may think he needs to prove he has support across the country by winning in Tambun, where Malays make up 67% of the electorate.
“If you want to emerge as a national leader in this country, especially as a Malay, you need to have support from Malays,” he said.
“I think this support has been dogging him for a long time, so he’s now out to prove something.”
Meanwhile, sociopolitical analyst Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya (UM) said Anwar’s decision to contest in Tambun would send a strong signal to other PKR leaders to follow in their president’s footsteps by “stepping outside their comfort zone”.
“This is a clear message to Anwar’s lieutenants that they cannot contest in safe seats,” he said.
“To those who say they are masterminds, expert strategists, or game changers, the message is that they have to prove this by going out and taking risks. That is the only way PH will be able to win more seats.”
PETALING JAYA: PKR president Anwar Ibrahim is missing out on the best chance to teach his former deputy Azmin Ali “a big lesson”, says an analyst.
On Thursday, Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar confirmed he will contest the Tambun seat in the 15th general election (GE15), this after previously suggesting he will go for a seat held by one of the coalition’s “traitors”.
While he did not reveal which parliamentary seat he was referring to, political observers took this to mean he would face off against Azmin, the former Gombak MP whose defection from PKR along with 10 other party leaders resulted in the collapse of the PH government in February 2020 in an incident known as the Sheraton Move.
“If Anwar really faces Azmin head on, it will teach the latter a big lesson. Anwar would be seen as a real gentleman, a real hero,” said Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir.
Jeniri also said alternatively, Anwar should throw his hat in the ring in Ampang for a potential clash with former PKR vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin, who followed Azmin in switching to Bersatu but has since quit the party to join Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).
“I think that’s the biggest question now. Why is he choosing Tambun and not the other two seats to face off against Azmin or Zuraida once and for all?,” said Jeniri.
“For me, this (GE15) is the best chance to knock them out. They caused problems that led to PH being toppled. He is missing the opportunity to teach them a big lesson. I, for one, don’t really understand this.”
At an event with journalists at a hotel here on Sept 28, Anwar said he would pick areas held by traitors to send them a message that “treachery in politics is not acceptable”.
“Gombak? Not necessarily, but I’m not ruling it out,” he said.
Anwar was the Port Dickson MP prior to Parliament being dissolved. He had been MP for Permatang Pauh in Penang for five terms between 1982 and 2015.
Former Perak menteri besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu is the incumbent in the Tambun seat. The Bersatu deputy president, who won the seat on a PH ticket in GE14, said on Friday that he would be defending the seat and welcomed all challengers.
On why Anwar chose Tambun, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said he felt the opposition leader was out to regain Perak for PH, which the coalition won in GE14 before Perikatan Nasional (PN) took over after the Sheraton Move.
Having won parliamentary seats in Penang and Negeri Sembilan, Fauzi said Anwar may think he needs to prove he has support across the country by winning in Tambun, where Malays make up 67% of the electorate.
“If you want to emerge as a national leader in this country, especially as a Malay, you need to have support from Malays,” he said.
“I think this support has been dogging him for a long time, so he’s now out to prove something.”
Meanwhile, sociopolitical analyst Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya (UM) said Anwar’s decision to contest in Tambun would send a strong signal to other PKR leaders to follow in their president’s footsteps by “stepping outside their comfort zone”.
“This is a clear message to Anwar’s lieutenants that they cannot contest in safe seats,” he said.
“To those who say they are masterminds, expert strategists, or game changers, the message is that they have to prove this by going out and taking risks. That is the only way PH will be able to win more seats.”
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