Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak begins a two-day visit to his 'vote-bank' in Sabah in what seems to be a final round of election push as speculation of a nearing national polls grows.
ANALYSIS
With 25 parliamentary seats up for grabs in the 13th general election, Sabah will be the key to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s aim to score bigger in a polls that would determine his political future in the ruling party, Umno.
Winning a stronger mandate would be crucial to Najib’s survival in a party that had shown resistance to his liberal reform pledges and stalled plans to roll out unpopular but pivotal policies needed to revive the ailing economy.
Najib is scheduled to visit Sabah tomorrow and will meet voters in several programmes around the state including visits to non-Malay constituencies.
The prime minister has repeatedly said in the past that the ruling coalition cannot survive on Bumiputera votes alone and that support from the country’s ethnic minorities is key to realising Putrajaya’s transformation plans.
In reality, Najib will need much of the non-Malay support to regain the coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Achieving this will seal his position as a popular leader, backed by the country’s majority, and clear the path against any resistance to greater economic liberalisation especially from the hawks within his own party.
But poll data from previous by-elections and the Sarawak state election showed the opposition making significant inroads in Sabah and Sarawak. Chinese support in particular, is swaying towards Pakatan Rakyat.
Although pundits believe Sabah will remain a vote-bank for Barisan Nasional, the ruling coalition could see itself losing a few Chinese-majority seats judging from the voting pattern in Sarawak which saw the opposition virtually wiping out its rivals in the predominantly Chinese urban seats.
Observers believe Pakatan could do more damage if it could match BN’s mighty resources but money remains the opposition bloc’s biggest drawback.
This setback will be a major blow to the coalition’s ambition to take over Putrajaya.
Surging popularity
Pakatan will also have to deal with Najib’s surging popularity which is likely to further increase with the recent tabling of several reform laws including the just passed Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill meant to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Pundits believe the tabling of laws aimed at improving civil liberties would help boost Najib’s reform credentials and is likely to influence his decision on the election date.
Talks are rife that Najib will want to capitalise on the current “feel-good” environment and call for the general election as early as June.
Influential former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also said that holding national polls now would be good for the prime minister.
BN component parties were already instructed to submit their list of candidates and its secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had said that the vetting process will begin after the April 30 deadline.
Najib had said in the past that his coalition would adopt the “winnable candidate” tactic, a strategy that provided a glimpse into the premier’s ambition to restore BN’s dominance “by hook or by crook”.
ANALYSIS
With 25 parliamentary seats up for grabs in the 13th general election, Sabah will be the key to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s aim to score bigger in a polls that would determine his political future in the ruling party, Umno.Winning a stronger mandate would be crucial to Najib’s survival in a party that had shown resistance to his liberal reform pledges and stalled plans to roll out unpopular but pivotal policies needed to revive the ailing economy.
Najib is scheduled to visit Sabah tomorrow and will meet voters in several programmes around the state including visits to non-Malay constituencies.
The prime minister has repeatedly said in the past that the ruling coalition cannot survive on Bumiputera votes alone and that support from the country’s ethnic minorities is key to realising Putrajaya’s transformation plans.
In reality, Najib will need much of the non-Malay support to regain the coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Achieving this will seal his position as a popular leader, backed by the country’s majority, and clear the path against any resistance to greater economic liberalisation especially from the hawks within his own party.
But poll data from previous by-elections and the Sarawak state election showed the opposition making significant inroads in Sabah and Sarawak. Chinese support in particular, is swaying towards Pakatan Rakyat.
Although pundits believe Sabah will remain a vote-bank for Barisan Nasional, the ruling coalition could see itself losing a few Chinese-majority seats judging from the voting pattern in Sarawak which saw the opposition virtually wiping out its rivals in the predominantly Chinese urban seats.
Observers believe Pakatan could do more damage if it could match BN’s mighty resources but money remains the opposition bloc’s biggest drawback.
This setback will be a major blow to the coalition’s ambition to take over Putrajaya.
Surging popularity
Pakatan will also have to deal with Najib’s surging popularity which is likely to further increase with the recent tabling of several reform laws including the just passed Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill meant to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Pundits believe the tabling of laws aimed at improving civil liberties would help boost Najib’s reform credentials and is likely to influence his decision on the election date.
Talks are rife that Najib will want to capitalise on the current “feel-good” environment and call for the general election as early as June.
Influential former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also said that holding national polls now would be good for the prime minister.
BN component parties were already instructed to submit their list of candidates and its secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had said that the vetting process will begin after the April 30 deadline.
Najib had said in the past that his coalition would adopt the “winnable candidate” tactic, a strategy that provided a glimpse into the premier’s ambition to restore BN’s dominance “by hook or by crook”.
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