Hadi’s Sabah seat dream likely to remain unfulfilled, says analyst

September 2, 2024

Hadi’s Sabah seat dream likely to remain unfulfilled, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: Analysts believe PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang cannot bank on the large turnout of young people at the party’s convention in Sabah on Saturday to win its first seat in the state.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah academic Romzi Ationg said although there was nothing wrong in Hadi having such aspirations, he must first ensure his party’s ideology is in line with the preferences of Sabah voters, who will be heading to the polls next year.

Since its establishment, PAS’s ideology has leaned towards the Malay and Islamic struggle. This helped it win many seats in the 2022 general election and last year’s state election.

Romzi said PAS faced significant challenges ahead, especially given its less-than-stellar past election record in Sabah.

It only gained an assemblyman in the form of Aliakbar Gulasan, who is the Sabah PAS commissioner, after he was appointed by the Sabah government following the 2020 state election.

DISYORKAN UNTUK ANDA :

Penganalisa Politik Akui Najib Masih Berpengaruh

“A lot depends on the diligence of the party leadership in ensuring the party’s image and ideology meet the preferences of voters in Sabah,” Romzi told FMT.

On Saturday, Hadi hinted that the party might contest in the Sabah state election, predicting a brighter future based on the large turnout of young people at its convention.

Hadi also acknowledged that PAS needs to win in Sabah if it wants to achieve its ambition of governing from Putrajaya.

Lau Zhe Wei, from the International Islamic University Malaysia, said Hadi’s statement was not surprising because the Islamic party had always been bold enough to field candidates across the country in every general election, but he doubted PAS’s ability to win in Sabah.

“Hadi says PAS will win, but based on the party’s track record, it’s difficult. Even increasing the number of votes it received in the past would be a significant achievement,” he said.

DISYORKAN UNTUK ANDA :

Tanggungjawab Semua Parti Komponen Untuk Kembalikan Kegemilangan BN

Lau’s opinion was shared by Bilcher Bala, from UMS, who said PAS’s chances are “very slim” due to the diverse ethnic composition of voters in Sabah, which differs from Peninsular Malaysia.

“People know that Perikatan Nasional (which includes Bersatu and PAS) is about the Malay and Islamic struggle. How will they serve the non-Malay and non-Muslim communities in Sabah?” he said.

The Sabah assembly’s term expires in October next year, unless it is dissolved earlier. An election must be held within 60 days of dissolution.