State elections: PH focuses on seizing Kedah, confident of retaining three states

SHAH ALAM - Pakatan Harapan (PH) will focus on Kedah in its bid to seize the state, which is currently governed by Perikatan Nasional (PN), in the upcoming state elections.

PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said apart from that, PH will also defend its governments in three states, namely Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang, in the state elections.

"Of the four states we focus on, I think the better approach is to focus on Kedah as PN is busy defending Kedah, and less focused on Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Penang. Hence, we have to focus on Kedah.

"I think our president (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) does not even need to fight against the Kedah Menteri Besar. By rights, Keadilan top leaders should be on the front, and the Prime Minister does not need to enter the arena at all,” he said.

Saifuddin Nasution said this in his closing speech at the PKR Special National Congress 2023, which was themed 'Malaysia Madani, Implementation of Idealism', at Malawati Stadium, here today.

Saifuddin, who is also the Home Minister, said for the six states’ elections, PH needed an aggressive approach in an effort to gain voter support for the coalition, which comprises PKR, DAP, Amanah and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko).

The six states involved in the elections are Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.

Meanwhile, PKR vice-president, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, who is also Selangor Menteri Besar, expressed confidence that PH is able to defend Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang with a bigger majority in the upcoming state elections, as a result of good policies by the federal and state governments.

Another vice-president, who is also the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said that the party needs to work hard to capture Kelantan and Terengganu, even though both states are seen as difficult to penetrate.

Nik Nazmi, who is also the Kelantan and Terengganu Leadership Council (MPN) chairperson, said the people in both east coast states deserve a better state government to champion their plight.

The one-day special congress, which focused on the party's preparations to face the state elections, and the strengthening of cooperation between PH and the Unity Government, was attended by about 3,000 delegates from all over the country, including observers. - BERNAMA