Mahathir's Decision To Contest In Langkawi Can Backfire – Analyst

By Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- After 19 years of staying away from the general election, Dr Mahathir Mohamad is returning to try his luck again, this time in GE14, in a different location and under a different banner. Sunday, Dr Mahathir who is also chairman of Pakatan Harapan (political alliance, a coalition of left-leaning and centre parties) announced his decision to contest the parliamentary seat of Langkawi, a Barisan Nasional (BN) (right-wing political party in Malaysia) stronghold, under the PKR ticket(one of the four component parties of the opposition coalition in Malaysia called the Pakatan Harapan). However, the announcement now raises the question of why is Dr Mahathir not contesting in Kubang Pasu, Kedah which has been his fortress for 30 years? Dr Mahathir has been the member of parliament for Kubang Pasu since it was listed in GE4 in 1974 and had served it since 2004, as well as being prime minister for 22 years. According to geopolitical strategist at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), associate professor Dr Azmi Hassan, Dr Mahathir’s decision to contest in Langkawi could be due to the fact that his name is synonymous with development on the island. Azmi said the former prime minister who turns 93 in July was seen as having better chances on Langkawi where the people acknowledged him for his contributions to the duty-free island. “While it is true that Tun Mahathir brought development, progress and prosperity to Langkawi, who were the people behind him? Which party supported him at that time? “Tun Mahathir’s strategy is now purely to bank on the sentiments of the voters..it is an attempt to pay with their sentiments, which is a gamble that could backfire on him,” he told Bernama today. Azmi also said the presence of PAS (an Islamist political party in Malaysia) on the island could lead to a three-cornered fight with BN as the incumbent. Senior lecturer in Political, Policy and International Studies at Universiti Utara Malaysia, Md Shukri Shib said the split in the opposition coalition would only mean victory for BN if there are no crossovers from the ruling party. He said BN still had to be cautious and not underestimate Dr Mahathir’s ability to win the hearts of voters in Langkawi. “Tun Mahathir himself is from Kedah, has the background of BN in Kedah, and he understands what the people of Kedah want. So it is not impossible that he can get the votes in Kedah. However, he said, if BN members remained loyal to the party and its leadership, Tun Mahathir would have a difficult time in Langkawi. “Even though Langkawi is progressive, the political style there is still rural. If the BN candidate can win the hearts of the voters who still hold on to family values, community life and economic prosperity, BN will not face any problems,” he said. -- BERNAMA