Thousands throng Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim’s open house in opposition-led Kelantan

KOTA BHARU, Kelantan - Thousands of people flocked to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house, held at a stadium in the opposition-ruled state of Kelantan, on Friday.

Some turned up as early as 5.40pm, before the open house officially began at 7pm. Datuk Seri Anwar arrived shortly before 9pm.

Security personnel jostled to clear a path for the Prime Minister through the thronging crowd, as loud chants of “Reformasi!” – the battle cry of his party’s reform movement – echoed around him while he greeted attendees.

Housewife Zuraini Ibrahim, 52, said a sponsored bus brought her from her home in Rantau Panjang district, some 40km from Kota Bharu.

“My children wanted to attend, so I decided to come,” she told The Straits Times. 

Business owner Mohd Yusof Daud, 52, who was also at the open house, said that although he is a supporter of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, he will vote for the party that can bring economic progress.

“The government is still not stable yet, as it is new. But I can see that the PM is making efforts towards boosting the economy and he cares for the people,” he said.

Singaporean Ismail Ab Rahim, 47, whose father lives in Kelantan, decided to drop by while in the state on holiday.

“I want to listen to PM Anwar’s speech and see what he has to offer in terms of development for Kelantan. Kelantan is not very developed compared with other states,” the security services provider told ST.

Mr Anwar, who said the open houses were being held in states outside the capital in the spirit of “friendship”, offered to help Kelantan resolve its longstanding water supply woes.

He also said that the 107 development projects approved for the state this year is the highest figure thus far.

Only 71 per cent of Kelantan residents have access to clean water due to issues with raw water sources, treatment plants and pipes.

Police on duty at the open house, held at the Sultan Muhammad IV stadium, estimated that 15,000 people attended the event, with long queues at stalls offering drinks and food such as roast lamb, fish satay, fried bee hoon and fruit. 

The open house – traditionally held at the prime minister’s official residence in Putrajaya – is one of six that Mr Anwar is throwing this year, in the states that will hold state assembly elections by August.

The six state elections will be keenly watched as a signal of whether his administration has support from the electorate.

His Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition failed to make a dent at

the November 2022 General Election

in the three states ruled by PN.

PH did not win a single parliamentary seat in the PN-ruled Kelantan and Terengganu, and claimed just one seat in northern Kedah state.

It will be a tough election battle for Mr Anwar in the Muslim belt states, where the vast Malay majority appears to be firmly entrenched in the PN camp. 

University of Malaya sociopolitical analyst Awang Azman Pawi told ST that holding the open houses in the three opposition states could be a starting point for the ruling unity government to penetrate Parti Islam SeMalaysia’s stronghold states, but added that it will require time and effort.

“After the open houses, more comprehensive programmes need to be carried out,” he said.

“Continuous and high-impact programmes are important to show that the government is taking care of the people’s welfare in opposition states and not just around Putrajaya.”

Dr Mazlan Ali, a senior lecturer at the Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said such overtures to voters in opposition states may win over the young and undecided ones.

“It isn’t a major factor, but the PM’s presence in Kedah saw large crowds, showing that the public welcomed him. Many Malaysians are fence-sitters and not tied to any one party – they support parties based on their performance.”

Mr Anwar has been working hard to woo voters, conducting his Friday prayers at different mosques every week and meeting constituents.

Noting that opposition states were allocated more than RM1.5 billion (S$447 million) in Budget 2023, Dr Mazlan said: “This shows that the PM treats all states equally, regardless of whether they are opposition-led or not.”

Some, however, feel that measures such as throwing open houses are unlikely to change the voting patterns in these states.

The other three states that will be holding elections are the PH-ruled Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Selangor.

There are signs that PN is gaining ground in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, noted Dr Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

“It’s a somewhat hapless move by the unity government, as the three PN states are likely to firmly remain in PN hands, and at least two other states are up for grabs by PN as well.”