Anwar banks on ‘wow factor’ to win Tambun seat, says experts
HURIN EIN23 Oct 2022 08:30am
Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu (left) and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (right) - FILEPIX
But will Anwar’s charisma win the people’s hearts or will it be Faizal’s Perak blood that champions?
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) political analyst Dr Jeniri Amir was of the opinion that Anwar’s position of being both PKR president and Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) chairman might be a winning factor for people to choose him.
He also said that Anwar is more charismatic, well-known, influential with political leadership.
He told Sinar Daily that the people knew Anwar as a competent leader who had sacrificed for his party and the country and voters feel that he should be given a chance to lead the nation.
He added that Anwar’s decision to contest in Tambun was probably decided after deliberate consideration and political reassessment on his chances to win the seat.
“I don’t think that Anwar would want to lose in Tambun,” he said.
Adding that the ground would probably go for Anwar and due to that he decided to contest in Tambun rather than in Gombak or Ampang, a constituency more familiar for him.
Among other opposition leaders, Jeniri felt that Anwar was the best choice winning over Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng and even former premier Tun Dr Mahathir.
“Out of all the opposition leaders, Anwar is still number one. He still has his wow factor.
“He is a fighter, he doesn't give up easily,” he said.
As for political analyst Professor Ismail Sualman, he said that people might be more inclined towards Faizal as voters often prefer local people or “anak Negeri”. Thus, Faizal being a Perakian could be an advantage, he said.
However, he felt that Anwar himself feels his aura could make him compete for any Parliamentary seat.
“I think Anwar himself thinks he has the wow factor in any areas he will be competing,” he said.
For him, Anwar’s decision to compete in Tambun might be due to the fact that he might gain many supporters from DAP because Tambun has many Chinese voters.
Even so, he said both Anwar and Faizal’s chances were on equal standing and the people of Tambun should think maturely and decide which candidate would be better.
“Both candidates have the same space and opportunity and I think they have equal chances but in politics, anything is possible,” he said.
Merdeka Centre Ibrahim Suffian said that Anwar being a prominent political figure could win in Tambun.
However, he also said that aside from his personal aura, it was hard to gauge whether PH could win a majority in Perak because the party’s machinery strength should also be considered.
Although in the 14th general elections (GE14), PH candidates from Amanah won but it was unsure to which extent their support remains, he said.
“Bersatu has left PH and they brought their supporters out of PH so we expect there will be a little shortage (of support),” he said.
He said that the question of Anwar’s victory lies in whether he could win over these shortcomings with his popularity and charisma.
Anwar previously won in the Port Dickson Parliamentary seat but Ibrahim said he had an incumbency advantage because PH was in power at that time.
“I'm not sure if he can have a bigger influence. If he can maintain the same PH support in 2018, I think he can win,” he said.
