New Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakob will oversee the first by-election in Kelantan following the death of the Pengkalan Kubor assemblyman today. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 20, 2014.
After having weathered the Selangor menteri besar storm that almost split Pakatan Rakyat, the Pengkalan Kubor by-election will put to the test the coalition's renewed commitment to remain together, an analyst said.
Dr Kamarul Yusof, an analyst who specialises in Kelantan's politics, said the by-election would also determine the strength of Kelantan PAS under new Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakob, after the party's popular spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s retirement.
The Election Commission must call for a by-election for the Pengkalan Kubor seat within 60 days, following the death of its assemblyman, Umno Tumpat division chief Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar, this morning in China.
Kamarul said the seat was significant in Kelantan politics because a PKR candidate was fielded in the past two general elections.
"The by-election will indicate the strength of the ties between PAS and PKR in Kelantan," he said.
The two parties' performance in the seat in the last four general elections has been on the decline since the 1999 general election.
PAS's Wan Husain Wan Ahmad won by 2,432 votes in the 1999 election, but the seat was lost by 714 votes in 2004.
PKR's Hasan Ibrahim performed better in the 2008 general election, losing by only 100 votes to the Barisan Nasional candidate.
But the party did worse in last year's polls when its candidate, Saharun Ibrahim, lost to Zahidi by 1,736 votes, while independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary received only 65 votes.
Kamarul said the huge loss in the 2013 election shows that it would be an uphill task for PR to wrest the seat from BN in the by-election.
"But then, almost nothing is impossible in politics, especially if both PAS and PKR do not argue over which party deserves to field its candidate for this seat, and who among them can present a formidable individual who can maximise their chances of winning this seat."
The last time PAS won the seat was in 1999, when the Malays overwhelmingly turned to the opposition party after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's notorious black eye incident sparked outrage among the community.
"But then, almost nothing is impossible in politics, especially if both PAS and PKR do not argue over which party deserves to field its candidate for this seat, and who among them can present a formidable individual who can maximise their chances of winning this seat."
The last time PAS won the seat was in 1999, when the Malays overwhelmingly turned to the opposition party after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's notorious black eye incident sparked outrage among the community.
Wan Husain defeated BN candidate, Mat Nawawi Mat Jusoh, by 2,432 votes.
PAS and PKR will be entering this by-election after their strained ties following differences over the appointment of the new Selangor menteri besar candidate.
But although the impasse ended on Sunday, after PAS finally agreed to Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibahim’s removal, resentment is still running high among some party members.
The party proposed PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and its deputy Azmin Ali as replacement for Khalid.
PAS Research Centre operation director Dr Zuhdi Marzuki has urged the party to reconsider its decision, and accused PAS of failing to defend its stand to include Azmin.
He said this after the PR Presidential Council decided to set aside PAS's proposal to forward two names to the sultan, and chose Dr Wan Azizah as the sole candidate.
Even in Kelantan, PAS and PKR's ties are strained.
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Mohd Amar had urged all 15 PAS Selangor assemblymen to support Khalid as MB.
- TMI
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