ALOR SETAR – As the sun dipped and its golden twilight gave way to the velvety cloak of night, a moment of quiet reverence unfolded at the foot of the imposing Mount Jerai, two days ago.
Minutes later, a rhythmic cadence of Quranic recitations echoed in the air, ending the sombre stillness.
Like a steady heartbeat of devotion, the second last verse of surah Ya-Sin was intoned with much reflection and unwavering faith; for forty-one repetitions.
Even more so, in its second last verse.
Miracles. How apt.
It was fitting of those of Pas who gathered there – en masse – to pray for such divinity given the looming Kedah polls which is due in two more days.
There are so much at stake for the Islamist party here, in this northern Malay heartland, where the electoral battle is mainly between Pas and the motley alliance of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN).
It’s second rise to power happened in May 2020 against the backdrop of the implosion of then-Kedah MB Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir's administration following a bitter political divorce in PH at the federal level.
Like the Malay heartlands in the East Coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu, Pas’ presence in Kedah is conspicuous; from the many flags and posters adorning the main roads, especially in the kampungs (villages).
But such similarity, however, ends there.
Statistics from previous general elections since 1959 didn’t show any signs that the Islamist party was capable of rocking the boat.
From its first election in 1955 to its third in 1964, Pas has won zero seats.
The party only managed to gain ground in the following polls in 1969, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1995; even then the state seats it won in the said elections never exceeded 10.
Buoyed by the 1998 Reformasi movement, Pas garnered its first bountiful electoral harvest in the ensuing 1999 state polls, winning 12 of Kedah’s 36 seats; BN’s rule there, however, was still pretty much unperturbed.
The feel-good factor from the change of stewardship – the passing of baton by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – dealt a huge blow to Pas, shrinking the party’s state representations to a mere five seats.
Although Pas won the electoral bout in 2008, BN managed to stage a stunning comeback in 2013, winning 21 seats.
All in all, simply put, BN had it easy here, in Kedah.
But alas, that was the past. BN was severely trounced by Kedahans in the 2018 state polls.
For a state known as the abode of peace (Darul Aman), Kedah has gotten rather rowdy these past couple of weeks.
Verbal volleys were relentlessly launched from both sides of the political divide.
In the campaign, the alliance of PH-BN seemed to heavily rely on two issues: the rare-earths theft that happened in Gunung Inas under the incumbent Pas-government watch and the uncouthness of caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
"Kedah can ill-afford such hothead to lead it. It is way more beneficial for Kedahans if the state government is aligned with the federal government,” said Kedah PH chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar.
Yesterday, many saw a glimpse of the boon in being under PH-BN when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim upped the padi price subsidy from RM360 to RM500 per tonne.
And to a state where padi farming is a huge deal, this was a rather pleasant news in Kedah even though harvest season is due next month.
Nonetheless, Pas has a considerable incumbent advantage here.
Firstly, the locals have gotten weary of PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail's incessant harping on the mineral thievery that began since before nomination day.
A persona who deviates from the stereotypical religious image of a Pas leader, Sanusi’s firebrand antics and lack of finesse seemed to have grown on the people of Kedah.
Why? Because Sanusi – in spite of his crude ways – has successfully inspired Kedahans, jolting them out of their la-la land by bellowing his ‘Greater Kedah’ plan to turn the state into something than a mere rice bowl of Malaysia.
"We had a glorious history. We were an empire to be reckoned with in the past. Now, they just want us to stay here quietly and plant padi? I won’t stand for this. We have so much potential,” Sanusi remarked at a husting on Aug 8.
This rebellious sales pitch has hit the right notes with Kedahans.
And the authoritarian manner in which Anwar simply shuts down the Kedah government’s proposal to build the Kulim Airport has added fuel to the burning flames of political rebellion in the state.
However, the reality right now is that the PH-BN alliance is the one ruling Putrajaya and perks of being the federal government is that it has almost infinite resources to pull from.
But then again, politics has always been fluid, even more so in Malaysia.
Ah. Perhaps, this was why, in Kedah, those of the moon have been praying for miracles.