Two terms under Ahmad Jazlan no guarantee Machang safe for BN

GE15 | In 2013, BN captured back the Machang seat from the opposition and retained it in 2018 - but that’s no guarantee that incumbent Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub will get a third term.

While the Kelantan BN chief appeared to have the upper hand at first, Malaysiakini found that voters in Machang are starting to open up to Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal - who is contesting under the PAS logo for Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Among those who are backing the challenger is 50-year-old Zulkifli Zakaria, who feels that the outgoing deputy unity minister has a fair chance at winning the seat.

“People’s acceptance of him (Wan Fayhsal) is quite good.

“I see that the people of Machang are ready for a change and to give a chance to youths to become elected representatives,” the retired civil servant told Malaysiakini.

Another Machang voter, Firdaus Radzulan also heaped praise on the Bersatu Youth chief.

“Wan Fayhsal is accepted by the people of Machang, no problem.

“He has a good and convincing leadership style,” the 32-year-old self-employed man said.

Ismail Jusoh, meanwhile, said that Wan Fayhsal’s position as a deputy minister also bolstered the latter’s chances at winning votes.

When BN won Machang in 2013, it was with a slim 805-vote majority.

However, the split in opposition votes between Pakatan Harapan and PAS in 2018 allowed Jazlan to increase his majority to 2,824 - but with a vote share down to 47.4 percent.

PAS, on the other hand, came in second with 42.3 percent of votes.

BN is hoping that Jazlan’s service record for the past two terms - such as getting a People Housing Project (PPR) built in the constituency, and other programmes such as schooling aid, will help towards securing another term for him.

As for Harapan, it's unlikely that the coalition can make any gains here, as it secured just 10.3 percent of votes in 2018 - even though Bersatu was on its side at the time.

Any Bersatu support that year is expected to swing to PN this time - putting the latter within striking distance of victory.

Another candidate contesting for Machang is retired major Muhamad Seman from Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA).

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