BN forecast: No wind behind PN's sails, neck-and-neck in Kedah

Malaysiakini : STATE POLLS | The “giant wave” which swept through Kedah in the last general election has receded, according to state BN chairperson Mahdzir Khalid.

In last November’s national polls, Perikatan Nasional won 13 of the 14 parliamentary seats in the state. Among the notable casualties were former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his son Mukhriz, who served as menteri besar twice. Both father and son lost their deposits.

On a personal note, Mahdzir said he is confident that the winds of change would blow through Kedah on Aug 12, when the state and five others hold their respective polls.

BN chairperson Mahdzir Khalid

“The wave which occurred last year was immense, to the point that it enabled PN to garner a lot of votes.    “But in the 14th general election (in 2018) before the wave appeared, PAS only won 15 (state seats) and could not form the (state) government.

“At the time, it was Pakatan Harapan which formed the (state) government before PAS took over midway through. The wave from GE15 is no longer there and we have reverted to the previous situation,” he added in a statement.

In the 2008 election, BN was dethroned after Harapan won 18 of the 36 seats and PAS, 15. However, the Harapan-led state government collapsed in 2020, resulting in PAS leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor replacing Mukhriz as menteri besar.  

Between service and sentiment

Without the wind blowing their sails, Mahdzir said it would be a close race and the people can tell the difference between the service rendered to them by BN and PN elected representatives.

“In the last GE, there was no ordinary wind, it was a typhoon on the side of PN. “Voters cast their ballots not on the service (of the elected representatives) but more because of sentiment, which is to reject BN regardless of the candidate.

“This is the reason I often remind voters to make their decision based on the service provided and not because of waves. “Think again about the benefits of just riding the wave without evaluating other aspects,” he cautioned.

NoobMaster69 : We want economic progress for all the 6 states especially proper running water for Kelantan. Only PH/BN can bring this change judging by the state that they govern. PAS had failed the people of Kelantan.

Mazilamani : Let us see if the Loud Speaker or the Meditator win, this time around. If the Kedahans have seen and experienced enough of Sanusi's incompetent governance and unprofitable gains for the Rakyat and State, they should decide by registering a strong protest message to PAS on Polling Day.

JBond : No more dedak, no more green wave lah.

BN, which is now in an alliance with Harapan and part of the federal coalition government, will be fielding 15 candidates whereas Harapan, 16 for this election.