NIBONG TEBAL: NIBONG TEBAL: Pakatan Harapan (PH) is optimistic about reclaiming the Sungai Bakap state seat from Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the by-election this Saturday.
PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said recent ground support trends indicate a favourable outcome for their coalition.
"Yesterday (on Tuesday), during break time in Parliament, there was a meeting involving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and me, where we each tabled our reports.
"Based on support trend from sources, we can wrest back the Sungai Bakap state seat.
"Insya Allah, there is only two days of campaigning left," he said during the Malam Kasih Bersama Pemimpin programme last night. Present was Zahid.
The by-election, though primarily to fill a vacancy, he said is seen by PH as a critical battle to win.
"PN now is left with 10 seats in the state instead of 11 previously.
"As for the unity government, we have 29 seats. It will be good to increase it to 30. 30-10 is a good number.
"As such, we hope the voters will vote PH's Dr Joohari Ariffin as their new assemblyman," he added.
There are a total of 40 state seats in Penang.
Joohari faces a straight fight against PN's Abidin Ismail for the Sungai Bakap seat.
Saifuddin previously said that while PN's current 10 seats are sufficient for serving as the opposition, retaining their representation in Sungai Bakap would not bring significant change to the area.