NewzPH communications director Fahmi Fadzil acknowledged Adly Zahari's experience as a former chief minister.KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan (PH) has yet to discuss the matter of its poster boy for the Melaka state election, including the proposal to name Adly Zahari for the role.PH communications director Fahmi Fadzil acknowledged Adly’s experience as a former Melaka chief minister."The PH presidential council has not discussed the matter, and we leave it to the leadership."However, Adly does have experience," he told a press conference after attending a ceremony to exchange financing documents worth RM5.2 billion for Digital Nasional Bhd.When asked whether PH had finalised its cooperation with Bersatu for the state election, Fahmi said the matter should be referred to PH election director Amirudin Shari.On Oct 12, federal territories Amanah deputy chief Hayatul Kamil said Adly, the party’s vice-president, should be named as PH’s poster boy for the polls.Hayatul cited Adly’s experience as Melaka chief minister and his service as deputy defence minister since December 2022 as key strengths.He said Adly’s experience in both roles gave him an advantage in governance over other PH leaders, many of whom had mainly served at the state level.However, former DAP MP Ong Kian Ming has predicted that in the Nov 14 polls, Barisan Nasional could increase its seat tally to 24 or 25, potentially taking one or two seats from PH including Adly’s Bukit Katil constituency and the DAP stronghold of Ayer Keroh. Adly Zahari’s tenure as Melaka chief minister from 2018 to 2020 earned him a reputation as a high performer, says analyst Mazlan Ali. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Adly Zahari is the best choice as Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) “poster boy” for the Nov 14 Melaka state election, having been the only Malay-Muslim PH leader to retain his seat in the 2021 polls, says an analyst.Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Adly’s performance reflected his ability to attract support across racial groups, including the Malays, in an election which saw Barisan Nasional (BN) secure a landslide victory.Mazlan Ali.He said Adly’s tenure as chief minister from 2018 to 2020 earned him a reputation as a high-performing leader whose policies and programmes differed significantly from those of the previous BN administration.“I believe he is the most suitable and deserving candidate for PH to put forward as a poster boy.
He would certainly be able to garner massive support,” he told FMT.Mazlan said Adly was known as a reformist who maintained transparency in governance while seeking to improve the public’s quality of life and strengthen Melaka’s economy.He also called on PH to name Adly as its candidate for chief minister early, saying his track record could help the coalition boost public support.Mazlan was responding to Federal Territories Amanah deputy chairman Hayatul Kamil, who on Oct 12 called for party vice-president Adly to be named PH’s poster boy for the polls.Hayatul cited Adly’s experience as Melaka chief minister as one of his key strengths. He also noted that Adly has served as deputy defence minister since December 2022, giving him an administrative edge over other PH leaders whose experience has been largely at the state level.Personal appeal may not be enoughUniversity of Tasmania analyst James Chin, who also viewed Adly as a strong choice, said his time in office was generally remembered for the absence of major scandals, which helped shape perceptions of his administration.James Chin“People regard his administration as basically drama-free more than anything else,” he said.However, Chin cautioned that Adly’s personal appeal might not be enough to overcome the electoral advantage enjoyed by Umno and PAS if the two parties worked together.He said cooperation between Umno and PAS could sustain a strong Malay voting bloc, making it difficult for PH to make signific…
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