JOHOR BAHRU – Although he has the support of the parties in the unity government, it remains a tough job for Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Pulai candidate Suhaizan Kaiat to truly woo Umno’s loyal voters.
He said Umno’s election machinery has taken it upon itself to convince its grassroots of the PH-Barisan Nasional political alliance during the campaign season.
“We are unable to determine the rejection rate, but Johor is Umno’s stronghold with the advantage of increasing support (for me) among the Malay community,” he told Scoop here.
Suhaizan remains optimistic about his seventh try at running for a seat, even though he is faced with the challenge of wooing the Malay voter bank, especially the Umno grassroots.
According to 2022 data, Malay voters make up 44.5% of the electorate, followed by Chinese (40.2%), Indians (12.2%), and other ethnicities (3.1%).
BN linchpin Umno was founded in Johor Bahru in 1946. BN also wrested control of the state last year, winning 40 of the 56 seats contested in the Johor election.
On being boycotted because of his “recycled” candidate image, Suhaizan said the backlash is minimal and his chances are bolstered by support from Umno, MCA, and MIC.
As campaigning hits its final strides, Suhaizan and the PH-BN machinery will intensify activities to reach more youth voters.
In the Pulai parliamentary by-election, Suhaizan will face a three-cornered fight against Perikatan Nasional’s Zulkifli Jaafar and independent candidate Samsudin Mohamad Fauzi.
Pulai is one of two by-elections called in Johor following the death of Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was also the domestic trade and cost of living minister, on July 23, the other being the Simpang Jeram state seat.
Early voting for the Pulai parliamentary seat by-election is today, while there will be no early voting for Simpang Jeram. Polling for both seats is on Saturday. – September 5, 2023