Duo S Defeat At Bersatu Polls Shows Grassroots Prefer Locals Says Analyst

---

 
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal and Muhaimin Harith Abdullah Sani were both defeated at the Bersatu polls in Kelantan and Selangor.
PETALING JAYA: An analyst sees the defeat of an MP and an assemblyman at the Bersatu polls in Kelantan and Selangor as a major hint that the grassroots prefer to be represented by “locals”.
Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said Bersatu should take a leaf out of PAS and Umno’s book in terms of respecting local sentiments in the selection of election candidates.
Bersatu Supreme Council member Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who is also the Machang MP, was ousted as Machang chief last Saturday. The post was won by Kamaruddin Ab Kadir.
In Hulu Selangor meanwhile, Batang Kali assemblyman Muhaimin Harith Abdullah Sani lost a three-cornered fight for the post of division chief, garnering just six votes.
Tawfik said while Wan Fayhsal’s defeat in the polls was “odd”, Bersatu members and voters were more inclined to support leaders whom they knew at the grassroots level over “parachute” candidates.
He attributed the defeat of Wan Fayhsal and Muhaimin to a failure at the leadership level to respect the wants of the grassroots, and a preference for “imported” candidates.
Kelantan Bersatu chief Kamarudin Md Nor previously dismissed the suggestion that Wan Fayhsal’s loss was due to a boycott. He said the division had wanted a local leader, not one who resides in Kuala Lumpur.
Muhaimin, who was originally from Klang, was rejected by Bersatu’s Hulu Selangor division at the Selangor election in August 2023. He later decided to reside in Batang Kali.
Azmi Hassan, a fellow at the National Council of Professors, said the duo’s defeat showed the difficulty of securing local endorsement.
As elected representatives, he said, the pair had possessed an edge over their challengers who had no position at the state or federal level.
“Despite being given the go-ahead by the party president to contest these two areas in the last elections, they failed to win over the grassroots,” he said.
He said their defeat was a reminder to the leaders never to dismiss the grassroots’ demand for local representatives.
“It’s a clear message that when it comes to selecting a candidate, the grassroots should be consulted,” he said. - FMT

---