KLANG: With the unity pact and Perikatan Nasional coalition in a battle royale for Malay votes, the focus will be on the state seats under the Kuala Selangor, Tanjong Karang, Sungai Besar and Sabak Bernam parliamentary constituencies.
All the seats here have large Malay majorities, with the exception of Sekinchan.
Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional are key members of the unity pact in the peninsula.
Of course, battles between big names will also be the highlight of the Selangor state election.
The polls will be a battle between state government policies and long-held sentiments and loyalties, says political analyst Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.
Permatang, under Tanjong Karang, will also be in the limelight with Perikatan’s young lawyer Nurul Syazwani Noh up against PKR veteran Mohd Yahya Sahri.
Nurul Syazwani is the daughter of six-term Tanjong Karang MP and powerful political warlord Tan Sri Noh Omar.
Noh, who is furious over being sacked from Umno this year, is said to be going all out to ensure his daughter’s victory.
However, Tanjong Karang Umno chief Datuk Sulaiman Razak reckons that going by the number of votes won in the 2018 polls, the Pakatan-Barisan team has a good chance.
Sulaiman lost the seat to PKR’s Rozana Zainal Abidin in the 2018 polls.
“PKR received 9,208 votes while I had 8,050 votes. If we combine both, we can easily get at least 15,000 votes,’’ he said.
The constituency has about 24,000 voters.
Sulaiman also claimed Noh’s popularity had waned.
PKR’s former Kapar MP Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid also believes the unity pact will reap success because of the 44 socio-economic programmes it has for the people.
“The youths who backed Perikatan in the last general election would have realised that they have to vote for a coalition that can provide them with a bright future,’’ said Abdullah Sani.
However, Sivamurugan cautioned that personalities like Noh cannot be dismissed, pointing to what happened in Tanjong Karang in the last general election.
Perikatan’s Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi beat Umno’s Datuk Habibah Mohd Yusof, Pakatan’s Siti Rahayu Bahari and two other candidates to win the seat.
Another big battle in Selangor will be between former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari’s political secretary Juwairiya Zulkifli in Hulu Kelang.
Amirudin was Azmin’s protégé and Juwairiya is regarded as Amirudin’s protégé.
Former PKR Batu MP Tian Chua believes it will be tough for Juwairiya.
“One cannot deny Azmin’s strength. He first won the seat in 1999 and was the first PKR assemblyman to win Hulu Kelang.
“However, Juwairiya will have the full support of all Pakatan parties and Barisan’s election machinery,’’ said Chua, a former PKR leader.
