Hamzah: Majority of Malays will reject BN because of Zahid

GE15 | Hamzah Zainudin appeared to indicate that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is an albatross around BN’s neck in this general election similar to how the coalition suffered due to former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s 1MDB baggage in the previous polls.

According to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general, the majority of Malays have decided to reject BN because of the Umno president.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, the caretaker home minister said voters are concerned about who would occupy the top post to lead the nation for the next five years and would not back someone who would “tarnish” Malaysia’s image.

“A lot of Malays think if they vote for BN, will this be equivalent to giving Zahid the power to decide the country’s future?

“The whole nation, especially the Malays, told me ‘We do not want that’. Majority of the people do not want this to happen.

“Of course, Umno members would still follow the president’s instructions. But we are talking about Malay voters as a whole.

“I think they are aware that the most important thing in this election is to choose someone who has morals and is able to lead,” Hamzah added.

In this election, both PN and Pakatan Harapan have pushed the narrative that Zahid is eyeing the premier post despite BN naming Ismail Sabri Yaakob as its prime minister candidate.

BN’s opponents have also claimed that a vote for the coalition translates to a vote for Zahid to become prime minister.

Meanwhile, Hamzah, who is expected to successfully defend his Larut seat in Perak, is confident his coalition would be able to capture Perlis, conquer the northern parts of the peninsula, and turn them into PN strongholds.

“We already got Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah. In this election, we will take over Perlis. I am quite confident about this,” he said.

However, he admitted that it would be a difficult task for the Muhyiddin Yassin-led coalition which comprises Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, and SAPP, to take the DAP fortress of Penang.

COMMENT | 8 reasons BN, PN promises hard to trust

PN's special agents to monitor party members who help rival parties campaign

Police instructed to be vigilant against floods - home minister

BN-PN dawdled on mothers' citizenship rights, now in manifestos