Press Digest: PKR likely to win Sg Besar in a straight fight, advantage will swing BN's way in three cornered fight

PETALING JAYA: Although Parti Amanah Rakyat (Amanah) has announced unilaterally that it will contest the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election, PKR is likely to fight for its candidate to be fielded.
This follows an opinion poll by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) think tank showing PKR has a better chance of winning the by-election compared with Amanah, Sin Chew Daily reported today.
The poll indicates that PKR can win the traditionally Umno-held seat by a majority of more than 1,000 votes if it is a straight fight with Barisan Nasional (BN).
It also shows that the electorate is abandoning PAS and BN will retain the seat with 10 times more majority votes than the 339 it garnered in the 13th general election if it is a one-on-one between PAS and BN.
However, if it is a three-cornered fight, the opposition votes will be split between PAS and PH, and BN will not only win but likely to obtain a majority of more than 5,000 votes as some opposition supporters, fed up with the lack of understanding among opposition parties, will abstain from voting.
Based on the result of the opinion poll, PKR may ask Amanah to make way for its candidate.
A PH source said PAS, which is deemed to have "zero chance" of winning, has also been urged to make way to avoid not only spoiling the Opposition's chance of a victory but also jeopardising the position of its three members in the Selangor executive committee.
"Apart from the three exco members, there are also local councilors, village heads, religious council officials and appointees to state government-linked companies numbering not less than 5,000 from PAS grassroots who may also be at risk in the event of a fall-out between PH and PAS," the source said.