PKR MP: Anwar to face the same fate as Sunak if …

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Will PMX Anwar Ibrahim face the same fate as Rishi Sunak? It all depends on whether PMX will face and accept political reality and reform his so-called Madani Unity Government.

PKR MP: PMX Anwar to face the same fate as Sunak if …

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8, 2024: PKR’s Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has less then three years to prevent from suffering the same fate as former United Kingdom premier Rishi Sunak.

“Putrajaya (the so-called Madani Unity Government) must back its words with action,” he added.

No News Is Bad News couldn’t agree more with the MP’s views and a post Sungai Bakap by-election review by The Vibes:

MALAYSIA

Anwar has 3 years to avoid sharing Rishi Sunak’s fate, says lawmaker

PKR MP urges Putrajaya to back its words with action.

Updated 1 day ago · Published on 07 Jul 2024 2:10PM

Pasir Gudang lawmaker Hassan Abdul Karim says the unity government’s defeat in the Sungai Bakap by-election yesterday was also due to national issues, especially the impact of the rationalisation of diesel subsidy. – Parlimen Malaysia pic, July 7, 2024.

PKR has less than three years to prevent Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from facing the same fate as former United Kingdom premier Rishi Sunak, said its Pasir Gudang lawmaker Hassan Abdul Karim.

In a statement, Hassan urged Putrajaya to build the right narrative and back its words with action so the people can put food on the table and not be burdened with the rising cost of living.

“When inflation decreases and workers’ wages increase, maybe a large part of the people, especially the B40 and the M40 groups will adopt a more friendly attitude and support PKR, Pakatan Harapan (PH) and the Madani government,” he said.

Hassan’s comment comes after the unity government’s defeat in the Sungai Bakap by-election on Saturday.

Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Abidin Ismail garnered 14,489 votes to win the seat with a majority of 4,267 votes against Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Joohari Ariffin who garnered 10,222 votes.

PN retained the seat with a larger majority compared to the state elections last year.

In the state elections last year, PN’s Nor Zamri Latiff won the seat with a majority of 1,563 votes against PN’s Nurhidayah Che Rus.

The by-election was triggered by Nor Zamri’s death on May 24.

Hassan said the unity government’s defeat in the Sungai Bakap by-election yesterday was also due to national issues, especially the impact of the rationalisation of diesel subsidy implemented by the government in recent months.

“I tried to support the Harapan candidate and the government on the targeted diesel subsidy issue.

“However. my speech was bland. I saw Harapan supporters themselves were defensive on the diesel subsidy issue,” said the Pasir Gudang lawmaker.

Hassan said Anwar’s bold and loud stance on the international stage in defence of the Palestinians strengthened his position in the eyes of the Malays in Malaysia who have had emotional and sentimental ties with the Muslims in Palestine.

He said for a while it appeared to boost his image among the community.

“But it started to collapse when Anwar, who is also the finance minister and Khazanah Nasional chairperson, agreed to sell part of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad’s (MAHB) shares to the Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

“GIP is set to be acquired by BlackRock, an international investment company of the United States that strongly supports the Israeli regime,” he added. – The Vibes, July 7, 2024.

MALAYSIA

Sungai Bakap sends clear message to govt

Disconnect between promises and reality leads to Pakatan’s defeat.

Updated 1 day ago · Published on 07 Jul 2024 11:00AM

Perikatan Nasional obtains a larger majority in the Sungai Bakap by-election than it won previously in the 2023 state election. – The Vibes file pic, July 7, 2024.

 BY Ian McIntyre

MANY factors came into play for the Sungai Bakap by-election, which saw the unity government candidate’s (Joohari Ariffin) defeat to Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) PAS candidate Abidin Ismail.

Abidin, 56, won with a majority of 4,267, almost a three-fold increase from his late PAS predecessor Nor Zamri Latiff, who only got a 1,516 margin in last August’s state election in Penang.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has conveniently blamed the loss on a host of national issues, from replacing the blanket diesel subsidy with a targeted model to inflation, all adding to a perceived increase in the burden on the people.

But other factors affected the outcome of this by-election, where an estimated 64% of voters turned up to exercise their democratic rights.

The low Chinese (22% of voters) and Indian (17%) turnout was a telling factor to Chow’s administration, which was entrusted to deliver the non-Muslim vote. The Malay electorate (59% of voters) was handled by PKR, Umno and Amanah.

PKR was supposed to work in tandem with Umno, which boasted of having some 5,000 registered members in Sungai Bakap to sway the Malay-Muslim ground, but the pendulum has been frozen since the 2022 general election.

This was when the majority of the Malay working class felt betrayed by Umno, which decided to work with its Pakatan Harapan archenemies, namely DAP and PKR, much to the chagrin of its loyal supporters.

And when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim decided to appoint controversial Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as deputy prime minister, the annoyance turned into more of a permanent discord, especially when Anwar’s unity government failed to effectively rein in living costs.  

The federal and state government’s often repeated mantra of bringing in investments never left a major impression or meaning on the B40 working class.

They are not skilled nor can they withstand the mundane work of a factory production line to tap any rewards from FDI inflows.

Economist Ariffin Osman said the government may mean well but the majority of the promises were on paper rather than action-orientated.

“Over time, there is a disconnect between the people’s expectations and the bureaucratic-driven style of the Penang government,” said Ariffin.

Promises of easing traffic congestion, fighting climate change, not to mention water disruptions were just that – promises, more empty than fulfilled.

These were all some of the local issues raised by the people of Sungai Bakap.

This snowballed into a stupendous victory for PN, which actually was also out of sorts, after PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s oversight of attributing the ISO 9000 company certification as an individual academic qualification for Abidin.

But the voters had made up their minds probably even before the candidates were unveiled – the Malay voters were fed up with the rising living costs and voted for PN, while the Chinese and Indians stayed away because both PH and PN at this moment are not exactly meeting their expectations of good governance.

Universiti Sains Malaysia political scientist Prof Sivamurugan Pandian saw it earliest, saying that the green wave which PAS rode to win four Malay heartland states convincingly in the last state elections, was still evident.

“It may be stronger now. After all, the wave was just around 12 months ago,” he said.

Sungai Bakap is Anwar’s birthplace, and yesterday, the voters showed indirectly that they were not too impressed with him or his government.

Solidarity, unity and stability are nice catchwords but they are meaningless unless the government of the day truly acts on them.

Time will tell if PH digests its stunning defeat well, or history will repeat itself in the next state election such as in 2008 when Barisan Nasional lost control of Penang. – July 7, 2024.