KANGAR: Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim’s decision to contest under a Perikatan Nasional ticket is seen as the contributing factor to the coalition’s win in Perlis.
State Perikatan chairman Mohd Shukri Ramli said Shahidan had successfully played his role as a “political warlord” to help the coalition gain not just support but votes.
“I hope our success in Perlis can be replicated in other states to form a clean and stable government,” the Perlis PAS commissioner told Bernama.
Perlis Bersatu chairman Abu Bakar Hamzah said Shahidan had also helped to strengthen the Perikatan machinery by getting Bersatu and PAS to join forces.
Playing the role of a warlord is not something new to the 71-year-old Shahidan who was the person responsible for retaining Barisan strongholds in GE14.
When Barisan experienced a political tsunami in 2018, Shahidan who was then state Umno chairman had managed to help win 10 of the 15 state seats to enable the coalition to form the state government.
However, Umno had dropped him from becoming a candidate and the angered and disappointed senior politician decided to go into the polls under the Perikatan banner.Shahidan has been in control of the Arau parliamentary constituency since 1986 apart from holding the portfolio of menteri besar for the state from 1995 to 2008.
Perikatan captured all three parliamentary seats – Arau via Shahidan, Padang Besar (Datuk Rushdan Ramli) and Zakri Hassan (Kangar).
As for the state seats, Perikatan candidates captured 14 seats while Pakatan Harapan took Indera Kayangan.
Former mentri besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man lost his Bintong seat.