KKB by-election: Unity government at risk of losing seat

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Bernama FILE PIX

SHAH ALAM – The Unity Government risks losing the Kuala Kubu Baharu State Assembly seat in the upcoming by-election on May 11 due to significant challenges faced by the party, particularly involving leadership conflicts.

Political analyst Dr Ariff Aizuddin Azlan said that the risk of Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) losing the by-election was high if voter turnout was low.

He emphasised that internal leadership conflicts within the government could influence the by-election’s outcome, especially if there was a perception that Malay and young voters were shifting support towards Perikatan Nasional (PN).

“In my view, the addition of new voters in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election will indeed impact the unity government, especially for DAP and PH. In this context, PN does have a chance to win if the voter turnout is lower compared to the previous state election,” he said.

This analysis comes following Sinar Harian’s front-page report on Monday titled ‘Unity government’s major challenges.’

Ariff Aizuddin

The significant challenges include the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s ambition to become a political powerhouse and disputes among government leaders regarding the Addendum Decree, despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asserted that his unity government remained solid without any cracks.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim described Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s move to support Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s judicial review affidavit challenging the existence of the Addendum Decree as potentially sparking a constitutional crisis.

Meanwhile, PN Chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claimed that the statements made by the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers regarding the Addendum Decree issue clearly demonstrated ‘disunity’ among them.

He stressed that ongoing conflicts among unity government leaders could signal to PN to prove to the people that the existing government was incapable of governing.

However, he cautioned against assuming that the PH-BN cooperation would collapse before the 16th General Election (GE16), as both Anwar and Zahid had previously assured it.

Regarding the PKR’s ambition to become a political powerhouse, Ariff said that its success depended on Anwar’s effective implementation of government policies as PKR President.

“I think what PKR is targeting is realistic, and as long as Anwar remains relevant, there should be no problem for PKR. Therefore, if the Tambun MP fails to fulfill his duties as Prime Minister in terms of policy implementation, it is predicted to have a significant impact on PKR in the future,” he said.