Battle royale for Selangor begins

PETALING JAYA: The battle for Selangor, the crown jewel in the six state elections, has officially begun as all major coalitions launched their official campaigns barely 48 hours after the state legislature was dissolved.

Ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan is banking on its track record of administering the nation’s richest state, which among others, saw it attract RM12bil in foreign direct investment last year, to help it retain Selangor.

Pakatan is hoping that its new-found alliance with Barisan Nasional, especially the Malay party Umno, will help counter the green wave as the latter has a large grassroots base in rural Malay constituencies along the West Coast areas of Kuala Selangor, Sungai Besar and Sabak Bernam.

Opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional is looking to end Pakatan’s three-term rule of Selangor with a campaign called “Selangor Baharu, Kita Bangkit” aimed at focusing on what they claim are Pakatan’s failures.

Perikatan’s leaders have reportedly said that they are confident of capitalising on the massive swing of support from Malay Muslim voters in Selangor towards the coalition in the 15th General Election (GE15).

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This swing, dubbed the green wave, allowed Perikatan to capture an unprecedented six parliamentary seats that had been held by Pakatan and its ally Barisan Nasional.

Pakatan and Perikatan both launched their campaigns at different venues last night in Selangor’s capital Shah Alam, within one hour of each other. 

“Everything has been prepared – war rooms and any campaign-related material – we are just waiting for the green light from the top leaders to go to the ground,” said Halimey Abu Bakar, a Selangor PKR division leader, when describing the “Jelajah Mega Madani Selangor” campaign.

Halimey said Pakatan and Barisan members will work together despite their past rivalry in GE15.

“We are presenting this information to Selangor voters in light of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision to establish a unity government at the federal level.

“They will understand this, and we will project our cooperation as a united front,” said Halimey, who is also Seri Setia assemblyman.

Petaling Jaya Umno division chief Datuk Abdul Mutalif Abdul Rahim said Barisan is also expected to launch its own machinery for Selangor soon and the party’s members will work together with Pakatan to canvass for votes.

“We are ready to go down and knock on doors. The leaders of both coalitions have the same respect for each other, so it must be reflected from top to bottom.

“The close relationship will help us campaign together in the state elections,” said Abdul Mutalif when contacted.

In the 14th General Election, Pakatan won 50 seats in Selangor but lost 10 during the Sheraton move in 2020. Umno won four, while PAS won one.

Bersatu, which is part of Perikatan, had won six state seats.

Selangor Perikatan secretary Dr Afif Bahardin said a large crowd attended the launch of the coalition’s campaign machinery at the IPCC Shah Alam.

“The number of turnouts is important to show the voters in Selangor that we are here to win the state, Dr Afiff said of the “Jelajah Selangor, Baharu Kita Bangkit” campaign.

Political scientist Prof Wong Chin Huat explains that both the Perikatan and Pakatan coalitions are focusing on Selangor because it is regarded as the “jewel in the crown” for both sides.

“Its demographic composition resembles the national picture. Perikatan hopes to cause damage by winning over Umno’s base to cause an upset,” he said.

A Perikatan victory is unlikely, Wong said, except in the event of extremely low voter turnout in Selangor.

“Perikatan would use that to trigger an uproar in Umno and, by doing so, cause instability for the Federal Government.”   – ANN