Reports by MAZWIN NIK ANIS, WANI MUTHIAH, SARBAN SINGH, ZAKIAH KOYA, RAHIMY RAHIM, AUSTIN CAMOENS, LO TERN CHERN, N. TRISHA, IMRAN HILMY, SHERIDAN MAHAVERA, JUNAID IBRAHIM, KHOO GEK SAN, ARFA YUNUS, MAHADHIR MONIHULDIN, CHARLES RAMENDRAN and TEH ATHIRA YUSOF
KLANG: The first week of campaigning in Selangor has been a relatively slow and listless affair in most of the 56 constituencies in the state.
Ceramah have not been pulling in the crowd and it’s not known if this is because of election fatigue or if voters are waiting until the 11th hour to come out in full force.
Candidates and their aides said they believe momentum would pick up and campaigns fly at breakneck speed next week, right up to polling day on Aug 12.
Several incumbents who enjoy strong positions in their constituencies have been away in other areas to help their newbie party colleagues campaign.
But it has not been a staid affair across the board. The hot seats are brimming with activities and late night ceramah.
For instance, Hulu Kelang in Gombak where former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is facing current Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari’s political secretary Juwairiya Zulkifli.
In Gombak Setia, Perikatan Nasional’s Hilman Idham is having an intense rematch with Selangor Umno chief Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin.
In the 2018 polls, Hilman received 24,157 votes when he contested under the Pakatan Harapan ticket, as opposed to Megat Zulkarnain’s 11,113 votes.
According to sources, Azmin seems to be well received wherever he goes, given that he is a known figure, while Juwairiya is still getting herself acquainted with the electorate.
“PKR’s big names such as its vice-president and Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, PKR Wanita chief and Education Minister Fadhlina Siddiq, and former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar visited the constituency and accompanied Juwairiya on her campaign trail,” said one source who lives in the area.
When contacted via WhatsApp and asked how her campaign was going, Juwairiya replied: “Running. It’s a race!”
In Gombak’s third constituency of Sungai Tua, Amirudin is defending his seat in a straight fight against Perikatan’s PAS candidate Muhammad Hanif Jamaluddin.
Going by sentiments on the ground, it is not difficult to see that Amirudin is well liked by his constituents.
In state seats under the Kuala Selangor, Tanjong Karang, Sungai Besar and Sabak Bernam parliamentary constituencies, the big question looming ahead is whether the Tan Sri Noh Omar factor can shift support from Pakatan to Perikatan.
Besides being a six-term Tanjong Karang MP, Noh had also been the Selangor Umno chief before he was ejected from the party early this year.
While PKR and Umno politicians claimed that political warlord Noh’s influence had waned, some voters beg to differ.
“If you ask me, Tan Sri still has about 60% influence throughout this area. He has been here for a long time,” said farmer Abdul Hamid Karim, 45.
Big names in Perikatan, such as former Perlis mentri besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, have also visited Selangor to give the coalition a boost.
While Noh, during a ceramah, had said it was not impossible for Perikatan to gain control of all the 33 Malay-majority seats in Selangor, the concern was the non-Malay majority seats.
Perhaps that is why Perikatan has fielded nine Chinese and six Indian candidates in its attempt to wrest non-Malay votes from Pakatan.
At this juncture, it is really difficult to say whether Pakatan will successfully defend all its seats or if Perikatan will be able to wrest away some of them.
