The now defunct Pakatan Rakyat did not perform well in the state in the last general election, but PH believes it will do better in GE14 now that it can depend on the Umno and PAS splinter parties to fight Barisan Nasional in its strongholds, which are mostly Malay-majority areas.
PKR vice-president and Bukit Katil MP Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin recently told FMT that PH was aware that the two parties, being new, might face some rejection, but he said this could be overcome with help from the PKR and DAP campaign machineries.
Indeed, he claimed, PPBM and Amanah had so far been well received in constituencies that BN won in 2013.
He said the two parties would focus on the 10 state constituencies where Malays account for more than 70% of voters. “PKR and DAP will back them up with programmes and machinery,” he added.
He said PH was operating on the ground rule that PKR and DAP would defend the seats they won in 2013 unless there was an agreement to swap seats.
In 2013, BN retained Melaka by a two-third majority, winning 21 state seats, two less than the number it won in 2008. DAP won six state seats and PAS, which was then a member of the opposition coalition, won one.
However, DAP lost three of its state seats last year when the assemblymen for Duyong, Bachang and Kesidang quit the party and turned independent, along with Sim Tong Him, the MP for Kota Melaka.
Sim said he and the three assemblymen were disappointed with the current DAP leaders. He accused them of deviating from the party’s original objectives.
Shamsul claimed that the departure of the four would not affect voter support for PH.
He said PH had done surveys involving 5,000 voters and found that there was substantial support for the opposition in Melaka.
“The responses that we got were beyond what we expected,” he said. “Generally, I see that there is new hope in Melaka.”
In 2013, Shamsul won Bukit Katil with a margin of 5,733 votes, defeating former Melaka chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam in a dramatic feat. However, Pakatan Rakyat lost Masjid Tanah, Alor Gajah, Tangga Batu and Jasin by large margins.
Shamsul said PKR would not run in Jasin this time around, leaving the seat for Amanah.
“The decision is made, and we now have to convince all our members on the ground to work with Amanah to deliver that seat for PH,” he said.