MELAKA: With Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin named as Perikatan Nasional’s chief minister candidate, the two other coalitions are ramping up their campaign for their poster boys as the polls reach the final lap.

       Barisan Nasional’s election machinery is going all out to ensure a convincing victory and that its choice for the state’s top post – Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali – emerges a winner.

       Pakatan Harapan which has named Adly Zahari as their chief minister-designate candidate, has also intensified its campaign which must end by midnight today.

       The Melaka state polls has reached the final lap as some 476,000 voters get ready to pick the next state government in a high-stake battle between major political parties as well as independents.

       Candidates are currently locked in a tight race in their final push at the polls despite concerns of a low voter turnout on Saturday’s polling day amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Political observers have pointed out that during this crucial period, various parties’ election machinery will go all out to woo voters especially the fence sitters and outside voters who could determine the outcome of the polls.

       Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian from the School of Social Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said these parties’ machinery are reaching out to as many voters as they can to gain support and convince voters to cast their votes.

       “The voter turnout and fence sitters will determine the outcome of this state election. Also, they need to pacify and convince voters on why they must vote for them; in fact it is important to reach out to those who did cast protest votes in the last general election,” he said when contacted yesterday.

       On Monday, the Election Commission (EC) said it has targetted a 70% voter turnout in the Melaka polls.

       Despite the low turnout concerns, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan hopes that Barisan voters will still come out to vote.

       “The EC has come up with a standard operating procedure and voters must observe all the rules such as wearing face masks, adhering to physical distancing and sanitising their hands,” he said.

       As for the Barisan machinery, state Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said that the coalition will strive to reach out to as many voters as possible.

       “We will continue to work hard during this period,” he added.

       The state election is witnessing a battle of the behemoths with political powerhouses Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan fielding candidates in all 28 state seats.

       A total of 112 candidates will be contesting in the polls.

       The EC has set Nov 20 as polling day.

       Barisan had previously expressed optimism that it would be able to capture 18 out of the 28 state seats that the coalition is contesting, paving the way for the coalition to form the next state government in Melaka.

       Its election director Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said this was based on a sentiment study conducted throughout the election period.

       Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan said despite the challenging situation in the state, potential was high that his party and Perikatan could win the state polls.

       “But I can safely say that the situation now is challenging for all parties.

       “Even those who previously said that they were confident of winning are now saying that they are prepared for cooperation after the elections,” he said.

       Perikatan has relied heavily on its coalition chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s image – seen on posters and banners plastered across the state – throughout its campaign.

       Wan Saiful added that Perikatan will continue to highlight its manifesto to the people of Melaka so that they will be able to make the right choice during polling day.

       PKR’s communication director Fahmi Fadzil said campaigning has been focused online with the support from local leaders.

       “At this crucial point, our main message is to remind voters to come out to vote and that it is a good opportunity for them to pick candidates who provide stability,” he said.

       Asked about its performance and the probability of Pakatan winning in the state polls, Fahmi said that it will depend largely on the voter turnout on polling day.

       “Our problem is also the voter turnout as we are unsure whether those outside voters particularly from Kuala Lumpur, Klang Valley, Penang and Johor will make the trip back to Melaka.

       “We hope they can come back early as we know that there might be traffic jams on Saturday,” said Fahmi.

       “We need to convince them that they need to come out this time to vote for their state government for the next five years,” he added.

       Independent candidate for the Serkam seat Datuk Dr Norazlanshah Hazali, who is one of the 15 candidates in the new independent coalition, said that it is very hard to predict the outcome of the state polls.

       “Most importantly, based on the feedback that we received, voters are tired of the internal fighting, corruption and the issue of party hopping.

       “We will continue to ask voters to come out to vote.

       “We are contesting based on the request from the rakyat,” he said.