‘He is risking his political career’: Anwar’s presence in Perak a boost for PH, but victory is not assured

TAMBUN, Perak: Motorists in Tambun might have noticed a huge poster recently put up on a billboard by the main road. 

It shows a picture of the town’s incumbent member of parliament Ahmad Faizal Azumu, with a caption that reads “Ayor bukan Ayaq”.

The short message written in Bahasa Melayu explains how the local residents in Perak pronounce the word water as “ayor” and not “ayaq” like those in nearby Penang.

For those who have been following Malaysian politics, it could be read as a reference to Mr Anwar Ibrahim – the political heavyweight from Penang who is contesting in Perak in the Nov 19 polls.

Besides contesting the Tambun parliamentary seat, Mr Anwar, now 75, is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition’s prime minister candidate. 

His decision to switch base from Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan to Tambun has been criticised by his political opponents, who label him as an outsider. 

For Mr Anwar and his political camp, however, his presence in Perak is a strategic move that could help PH form a new government when Malaysians go to the polls.

PERAK: THE FRONTLINE

Located on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Perak is likely to witness a fierce battle of three major political forces over the next two weeks. 

They include PH – which won the previous general election in 2018 – and its long-time rival Barisan Nasional (BN) – whose 61-year rule was severed four years ago.

The third is a relative newcomer called Perikatan Nasional (PN). It comprises Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and other parties.

The three camps will fight to dominate Perak, which has 24 parliamentary seats up for grabs. The state is home to 2.01 million eligible voters – the third largest voting population in Malaysia after 3.65 million in Selangor and 2.59 million in Johor.

The coalition which gets the most seats in Perak will have higher chances of reaching a majority in the 222-seat Lower House.

“Since 2008, PH and BN have been almost equally strong in Perak,” said political analyst Professor Wong Chin-Huat from Sunway University. 

“As the support for PH has receded, as compared to 2018, it makes more sense for PH to target Perak.”

To achieve that, Prof Wong believes Mr Anwar – a prime ministerial candidate with decades of political experience – plans to use his presence and attention to win more support for his coalition in Perak.

At the same time, his candidacy in the constituency of Tambun could also benefit PH candidates contesting in other constituencies, especially those from his party – Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

“I think the strategy works so far,” said Prof Wong.

In the previous election, PH won 13 parliamentary seats in Perak while BN managed to secure 11 seats. But unlike last time, PH is now fighting without one of its former allies Bersatu.

Bersatu and several members of parliament from Mr Anwar’s PKR left PH to form PN with PAS in 2020. This resulted in the collapse of the PH government after being in power for 22 months. It is commonly known as the Sheraton Move.

Following the political crisis, power in Putrajaya was seized by PN and BN. The two camps have ruled Malaysia since March 2020. They also aim to maintain power in this election.

“Perak will be the frontline of the battle in this general election,” said Mr Anwar last month. “That’s why I’ll be contesting in Tambun.”

“ANWAR IBRAHIM IS A BIG NAME”

Mr Anwar’s candidacy came as a surprise for residents in Tambun, even for his top contender and former ally from Bersatu, Mr Ahmad Faizal.

Speaking after his nomination on Saturday (Nov 5), he admitted the electoral battle in Tambun will be “really tough” with Mr Anwar among the contestants.

“Anwar Ibrahim is a big name. You know, the United Nations wanted him to become the secretary general. Can you imagine? But somehow, he chose Tambun. So, good luck to him,” said Mr Ahmad Faizal.

Still, he told CNA he is “fairly confident” his coalition PN will emerge victorious. 

"I hope after Nov 19, we are going to still be friends because Perikatan is going to form the government,” he added.

For some local residents, however, change is what they want to see in the upcoming election and that could only happen if Mr Anwar leads PH to victory in Tambun as well as the rest of Perak.

Ms Kathy Kee, a 43-year-old school teacher in Tambun, wishes to see a new government that knows how to properly manage Perak’s rich resources and improve its infrastructure, public transport and agriculture.

“Perak has many resources but the government has never taken it very seriously or managed it very well,” she said.

“With Anwar coming here, there could be new things,” she added.

Mr Anwar, born in Penang, was a political rising star in the 80s and 90s. At that time, he served in various ministerial posts – from agriculture to education and finance. He also served as a deputy prime minister from 1993 to 1998 before clashing with Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was prime minister at that time.

Shortly after being dismissed from the post, Mr Anwar started a political movement called Reformasi to demand Dr Mahathir’s resignation and an end to alleged corruption and abuse of power. 

Reformasi later grew into a reformist movement advocating social justice, non-racial politics and human rights in Malaysia.

He was a member of parliament for Permatang Pauh in Penang from 1982 to 1999, and again from 2008 to 2015. 

Given his track record, some voters in Tambun want to give Mr Anwar a chance, not only to represent their constituency but also to govern their country as prime minister. 

“He was a former deputy prime minister. He has experience. So, if he gets the position, why not? If he can do the best, compared to former prime ministers, why not?” said Tambun resident Azri bin Aziz, 42.

“I know he is not a local, which is important. He’s not from here but he wants to contest here. What’s wrong if people here like him?”

In 2018, PH won Tambun with 38,662 votes from Mr Ahmad Faizal – who then ran under the coalition. He beat candidates from BN and PAS, which won 33,341 votes and 14,948 votes respectively.

Tambun meets two criteria for Mr Anwar as “the royal battlefield”, according to Prof Wong.

“A – it is a Malay-majority constituency … won marginally, so his opponents cannot say he seeks a safe seat or protection from non-Malays,” he told CNA.

“B – it is one of those seats held by defectors from PH, meeting PH hardcore's expectation to see their elimination.”

AN UPHILL BATTLE

Nationally, there are 21.17 million eligible voters in the upcoming polls.

Over the next two weeks, political alliances will need to campaign hard to secure as many votes as they can in order to get a simple majority of 112 seats in parliament.

Besides the nationwide general election, Malaysians in the states of Pahang, Perlis and Perak will also vote for new state governments.

In Perak, 24 parliamentary seats and 59 state seats will be up for grabs, and according to Perak PKR chairman Chang Lih Kang, the fight to recapture the state will be tough.

He told CNA: “We can see a lot of positive developments and also a morale boost for Perak after Anwar announced his candidacy in Tambun. 

“But still, the power of the incumbent is great. They’re the incumbent government and they have access to all the governmental machinery. So, I think it’ll still be an uphill battle for us.”

Before the Perak state legislature was dissolved on Oct 17, it was controlled by BN.

PH’s campaign in the state focuses on economic issues such as the high inflation rate – 4.5 per cent in September – the rising cost of living and the depreciation of the Malaysian ringgit. 

“Tambun has never been a stronghold for us, and if you look at the majority in 2018, it wasn’t quite big,” Mr Chang admitted.

To recapture it and the rest of Perak, he said PH needs “new elements” and Mr Anwar is one of them.

“He is risking his political career, in fact. But it’s also a way of sending a subtle message – it’s do-or-die for him – and that really gave us a morale boost, especially in Perak, which has always seen 50-50 seats since 2008.”