Tough but not impossible to be giant-killer, says PKR man facing Rauf

PKR’s Yunazri Mustamiri is well aware of the uphill battle he faces in trying to defeat chief minister Ab Rauf Yusoh for the Tanjung Bidara seat in the Melaka election.

Nonetheless, the 36-year-old Pakatan Harapan candidate said it would not be entirely impossible for him to pull off a surprise and become a giant-killer in the polls.

Yunazri believed that an upset was possible if the PH machinery works tenaciously through the next two weeks of campaigning.

“On paper, it looks quite difficult, but it is not impossible,” he said after being nominated as the PH candidate for the seat.

Yunazri, who is running in his first election, believed that the support of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the PKR president, and other party leaders would strengthen PH’s campaign in Tanjung Bidara.

He also believed that his age could help attract support, especially among the younger voters.

Rauf, the Melaka Barisan Nasional chairman, is seeking a second term as Tanjung Bidara assemblyman after winning the seat with a 364-vote majority in the 2021 state election.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi previously said Rauf would continue serving as chief minister if the coalition and Perikatan Nasional won the state election.

Tanjung Bidara is a Malay-majority seat where voters aged 18 to 29 make up 31.6% of the electrate, followed by those aged 30-39 (20.9%), 40-49 (16.2%), 50-59 (15%) 60-69 (9.7%) and 70-79 (4.9%).

Yunazri acknowledged that Rauf had done a stellar job looking after Tanjung Bidara, but believed young voters could tilt the scales in his favour.

“The last general election showed a trend of support favouring younger candidates, even among voters who previously supported other parties,” he said.

Rauf, on the other hand, said voters in Melaka should cast their ballots based on the experience and efficiency of the candidates in handling local issues.

“I welcome young people to take part (in elections) so they can gain more experience. I’m not saying that they can’t (serve as assemblymen), but they need to have gained enough experience (to serve well),” he said.

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