Dr Bari: Slim results show Mahathir should shut up

Malaysiakini:

Looks like Dr M, Pejuang have no support - Perak opposition chief

SLIM POLLS | The one-sided victory enjoyed by BN's Mohd Zaidi Aziz in the Slim by-election have taken even Umno leaders by surprise and the Perak opposition leader says it may be an indication that voters no longer have any support for ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"It looks like Pejuang has no place," Aziz told Malaysiakini after Pejuang-backed independent Amir Khusyairi Mohamad Tanusi won only 13.69 percent of the valid votes in Slim, just narrowly surpassing the 12.5 percent threshold required to keep his deposit.

Aziz ventured that the personal appeal of Mahathir was on the wane and the candidate he backed had failed to attract the support of Pakatan Harapan's base, which had given it 33 percent of the votes in a three-cornered fight in GE14.

Perhaps it's finally time for Mahathir to shut up, said Aziz, who is Tebing Tinggi assemblyperson.

"To me, the future is with Harapan, we are talking about a two-party system. I think in Semananjung, voters are not interested in a third force whether it's Pejuang or otherwise," he said.

"The lesson from Slim is that there is no question of a third force. This would only split the votes and confuse people."

"I think this is a question mark for the Harapan plus concept. When it comes to opposing Umno and BN, the people want Harapan, full stop. Plain and simple.

Despite the fact that many familiar faces from Amanah like Mat Sabu, Khalid Samad, Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin and Mahfuz Omar campaigning for Amir Khusyairi, the absence of prominent Harapan campaigners from DAP and PKR such as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was notable.

"Harapan was just there to help and we were not involved in planning or the selection of candidates. It was entirely Pejuang's work," explained Aziz.