Zahid will be PM if ‘blue wave’ wins GE16, predicts Ong

Political analyst Ong Kian Ming predicts that Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will become the next prime minister should BN and Perikatan Nasional form a pact and win the next general election (GE16).

The former DAP leader said PAS was likely to win more seats than BN, but he expected Zahid to have the backing of Sabah and Sarawak parties for the top post, Sinar Harian reported.

“I feel that the narrative of a Malay-Muslim unity will enable the ‘blue wave’ (of a BN and PN alliance) to win GE16.

“BN and PN will win more than 112 parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia, and they will form a coalition government with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

“And Zahid will become the 11th prime minister,” Ong was quoted as saying.

The former DAP MP recalled when then Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed prime minister in August 2021, leadership hierarchy issues arose where “an Umno president overruled a prime minister”.

Because of the inclination to prevent such issues from recurring, he said Zahid would have a better chance of becoming prime minister than any other Umno leader.

Ong also predicted that Pakatan Harapan will return to the opposition bench, with the coalition retaining around 40 to 50 parliamentary seats.

“Even the Selangor government held by PH since 2008 might collapse,” he added.

PH currently has 76 parliamentary seats.

Umno might not defend all 21 seats in Melaka

Ong also predicted that BN will not contest all 21 seats it won in the last Melaka state election, despite previously stating its intention to defend those seats.

He instead expected BN to hand about four seats to PN in exchange for several PAS-held seats in the Islamic party’s strongholds of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu.

“But a major hurdle might arise if both parties cannot come to an agreement on the allocation of seats. For example, if PN wants more seats and BN refuses,” he said.

Ong also does not expect BN to have enough support to force GE16 to be called yet, although there could be other developments after the 2027 budget is tabled next month.

“By then, GPS and GRS might be more open to (supporting) BN (to withdraw support for the government).

“If such a scenario occurs, it could lead to the dissolution of Parliament and GE16 being called.”

BN has been pushing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to call for an earlier GE16, especially after ties with PH soured following clashes in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections.

PN, which helped BN secure a two-thirds majority in the Negeri Sembilan assembly in the Aug 1 polls, has also backed calls for a snap general election.

However, Anwar has shot down the idea, saying the government remains stable and its immediate priority is to improve the people’s wellbeing and manage the economy.

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