I nearly fell off my seat when I first heard of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim's (DZI) selection by the PKR bigwigs for the Hulu Selangor by-election which was announced in Serendah on Tuesday night. More surprisingly, the announcement was made in advance of Barisan Nasional's planned announcement on 15 April, which earlier declared their intention to field a candidate from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).
Being an old goat in politics, DSAI could have taken the cerebral option and a safer bet in Dr Halili Rahmat, a neurosurgeon by practice and a local respected figure. However, the glutton that had defined his character all these years reared its head again and BN's bait in the possibility of pitting PKR against an MIC candidate got the PKR supremo hasting an early decision. What a pity, I must say.
On one hand, the liberal DZI appeals to likeminded voters who are cognisant to his views on many issues including his comments on the legitimacy of the steps taken by HRH the Sultan of Perak in resolving the impasse of the Perak State Government.
On another hand, the make-up of the majority rural community would mean that his persona may not be entirely appealing, especially in defending the track record of PKR in dealing with bread and butter issues ever since the party successfully wrested P94 from Datuk G Palanivel (DGP) in 2008.
It is obvious that from the beginning, the BN coalition had already made their calculations prior to the death of the late Hulu Selangor incumbent, Allahyarham Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad. Subsequently, the MIC red herring was thrown intentionally to get PKR all woozy and overconfident. Apparently the gambit tactic is working so far and PKR might regret the naivety of their chief in taking in the bait.
The only block for me to point out on a comfortable BN win at Hulu Selangor is in the stubborness of MIC in sticking to none other than DGP. Although intended to show unity and undivided support for the candidate, this gesture nonetheless gives rise to accusations of putting the BN leadership in a spot. Secondly, by risking the outcome of BN choosing an alternative candidate to DGP, the MIC stands to be ridiculed for having a disillusioned view of the whole scenario in Hulu Selangor and not listening to the sentiments of the voters, who irregardless of ethnicity, are yet to absolve the MIC leadership from the bad handling of issues related to the Indian community. Thirdly, members overlooked for this candidature may decide to field themselves as independents, indirectly challenging the currently weak MIC leadership.
All in all, I see this by-election going into a tight race of sorts. My recent findings through last week's trip to Hulu Selangor showed the level of support for either side is still unclear. Come Saturday however, this would surely change. And perhaps, DZI is DSAI's red herring after all!
Regards and Wassalam.
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