GE13: Barisan hoping to use disunity among opposition parties to its advantage

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hit the campaign trail in Sabah to shore up support for candidates guarding Barisan Nasional's fixed deposit turf against an onslaught of opposition parties.

Barisan candidates are hoping to pounce on disunity between Pakatan Rakyat and local-based opposition parties to turn more than a dozen grey seats to white by polling day.

Since nomination, catchy slogans for change and autonomy have been dampened by mutiny and fierce infighting among PKR, DAP, PAS and local-based Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and State Reform Party (STAR).

In the past few days of campaigning, a good number of voters appeared confused over which opposition party stood for what slogan and had remarked that if opposition leaders remain at loggerheads, it would be an easy victory for Barisan.

Barisan candidates are capitalising on the Prime Minister's transformation and 1Malaysia mantras and the promise of another round of Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia.

They believe the two-day visit by Najib to Beaufort and Kuala Penyu in the west coast and Keningau and Tenom in the interior region would help soften the ground in pockets of hardcore opposition strongholds and put out any sabotage within the Barisan ranks due to dissatisfaction over candidacy.

In the thick of the action: Najib receiving a rousing welcome in Kuala Penyu, Kota Kinabalu.

 

“God willing, we will repeat our 2008 performance,” said Sabah Barisan chief Datuk Seri Musa Aman, when asked if the coalition was likely to keep the 24 of the 25 parliament and 59 of the 60 state seats won in the last general election.

Musa's optimism is shared by other state leaders who feel Sabah Barisan holds an advantage because of split opposition votes in multi-corner contests brought by a crowded field of 358 candidates in the fray.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who made a seven-hour trip to Sabah on Monday, said Pakatan parties were targeting 11 or 12 parliamentary seats in the state besides keeping the Kota Kinabalu parliament and Seri Tanjung state seats won in 2008 while PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was due to arrive later this week to defuse the mutiny over the Tuaran parliamentary seat.

SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee and STAR chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan have accused Pakatan parties of being greedy for not allowing local parties to contest the bulk of the state seats and have been calling on voters to reject all peninsula-based party candidates.

(Source: The Star Online)