It will be an “uphill battle” to retake Selangor but Barisan Nasional (BN) hopes to win back the frontline state by securing at least 30 seats in the next general election, the deputy prime minister said.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said BN has identified constituencies where the ruling coalition can make significant inroads but refused to reveal further details.
He was quick to stress, however, that BN could only succeed in its task if its leaders were willing to go down to the ground to meet the people and listen to their grouses.
“If we do that continuously... I am confident we will see a change in (voter) attitude, an increase in support,” he told reporters after speaking at SMK Taman Tasek Tambahan in Ampang today.
“And if that persists until the general election, we have a chance... to vindicate our loss (in 2008).”
Muhiyiddin’s stop here was just one in his lightning tour of Selangor, where much of his time will be spent visiting various locations in Ampang.
The BN deputy president said the purpose of his one-day tour was to “assess” voter sentiment in the richest state in Malaysia, which swung strongly to the opposition in the last general election.
BN lost the key peninsula state to the opposition in Election 2008, including two state seats in Ampang — Lembah Jaya and Bukit Antarabangsa.
BN had won big in Selangor in the 2004 general election when the ruling coalition secured 54 of the 56 seats.
Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Noh Omar had earlier pointed out that BN could only regain control of the state if supporters maintained strength through unity.
“If we’re strong, we can win,” he said.
He said PKR, which currently leads the Selangor government, was “not great” as it only managed to secure 14 seats in Election 2008.
He said PKR would not have been able to form government in Selangor if not for the help of the DAP, which won 13 seats, and PAS, which won eight.
“We have a good chance to win in the next general election,” Noh added.
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang raised the spectre of a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) defeat in Selangor during divisive party polls in November last year.
He had warned that the opposition pact must remain united or risk replicating PAS’s massive 2004 loss in Terengganu.
“In the 1999 general election, PAS had never expected to win power in Terengganu state but it swept the state with a landslide 28-4 victory in the state assembly seats,” Lim said.
“In the 2004 general election, PAS never expected to lose power in Terengganu but it lost in a reverse 4-28 sweep by Umno and Barisan Nasional.”
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in an apparent reference to Selangor, had also earlier hinted that BN could wrest back “one or two states” from PR due to opposition infighting.
comments
The only way BN can win is by gerrymendering, postal votes from military, Rela and police.
DPM let me tell you it is wishful thinking. If you go to the ground you will be shock to find that Selangorians will not support BN. I predict that BN will lose more seats in the next GE. MB Salangor is doing a fine job and is gaining strength day by day. No hope for BN. Negeri Sembilan will next to fall.
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