Difficult for PN to capture Selangor, political observer says

SHAH ALAM - Perikatan Nasional's (PN) chances of winning 33 seats in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly are slim, even if they adopt the spirit of Muafakat Nasional (MN) in the upcoming state election, expert says.

Universiti Utara Malaysia senior lecturer in Politics and International Relations Professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said the reason for this can be attributed to the perceived absence of the spirit of MN.

Even if this spirit does exist, it is considered feeble, lacking direction in its struggle, he added.

Mohd Azizuddin was commenting on Selangor Umno chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar's recent statement on PN's potential to secure 33 seats in the Selangor state assembly has generated enthusiasm and excitement among the party's supporters.

"Noh's statement serves as motivation for PN to work hard, but the reality is that the MN wave has been rejected. Selangor is a challenging state to capture as it has been under Pakatan Harapan's (PH) rule since 2008.

"PH governs the state well, and the people like them and are comfortable with PH. So when they are already comfortable, it will be difficult to change (the government)," he told Sinar Ahad.

On Friday, Noh stated that PN could win 33 seats if they used one-to-one formula and adopt the spirit of MN in Selangor state election.

Noh said it was not impossible, especially with Selangor being a stronghold for Malay voters.

Commenting further, Azizuddin said similar situation can happen in other PH-owned states because voters are not inclined towards the spirit of MN, especially in Penang.

He also stated that he does not see any relevancy in MN agenda, in the context of state election in the states concerned.

Azizuddin said the unity government in Selangor will be stronger if PH-BN coalition wins in the next state election.

Commenting on the results of the 15th General Election (GE15) in Selangor which proves PN was able to win seats in BN's stronghold, he said the indicator is inaccurate because the dynamics of Malaysia politics have changed.

He highlighted the growing importance placed by the public on a government's capacity to deliver tangible outcomes at both the state and federal levels.

This shift indicates a reduced inclination towards being influenced by racial sentiments and delicate matters.