KEMAMAN: Five years ago, Barisan Nasional pulled off a masterstroke when it named former police officer Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor as the coalition's direct candidate for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat by-election.
Ramli, who was the highest ranking Orang Asli policeman before his retirement in 2018, lived up to expectations and secured a resounding victory over the Pakatan Harapan candidate. He is now the Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker.
Facing the Kemaman by-election, BN has once again decided to place their trust in a direct candidate, this time a member of the armed forces who reached the pinnacle of the service.
Former armed forces chief General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor has been handed the responsibility to wrestle the seat from Perikatan Nasional.
The question on the minds of many especially within the BN camp is if Raja Affandi, who has been seen spending long hours campaigning on the ground since nomination day, would able to deliver the Kemaman seat for BN, putting an end to Pas' dominance in Terengganu.
Political analyst Professor Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood said pitting a newcomer such as Raja Affandi against seasoned politician Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is already seen as a huge challenge for BN to pull off an upset.
"It is not about (whether it will) backfire but fielding an unknown against a big time politician who also happens to be the menteri besar.
"Of course, Kemaman was under BN (for three terms before the 14th General Election) and was known to be an Umno stronghold. However, after the 15th General Election (GE15) many constituencies in Terengganu saw a substantial colour change, and Pas has been making headway everywhere.
"I believe it is a different game altogether in Kemaman compared to Cameron Highland. Pas' sweeping control over Terengganu remains strong and it cannot be denied that their influence has strengthened since GE15," he said when contacted.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Raub branch Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Policy Studies lecturer Muhammad Ariff Asyrul Adnan said the move to name a direct candidate shows that BN was ready to carry out rebranding following the coalition's disastrous outing during the state elections in August.
"BN is displaying readiness to perform reform and adopted a strategy that the chosen candidate is not necessarily someone from within the party. Fielding a technocrat to provide challenge in Kemaman seems to be a huge leap for BN to reinvent its image.
"Previously, BN or Umno would name candidates including those 'recycled' or a familiar face within the division but find it tough to woo voters. Introducing a new face as a direct candidate might be timely as people will see it as an effort by BN to bring changes in line with the people's aspirations," he said.
Ariff Asyrul said although winning in Kemaman might be tough for BN, it would be a huge morale-boosting victory if they manage to reduce Pas' 27,000 majority which was achieved during GE15.
"A former armed forces chief who has been on the ground campaigning like a soldier at war and given his good image while in service will be an advantage to give a tough fight to Pas. Cutting down the majority in Kemaman will give BN a new hope and positive vibes that they are on the right track.
"If successful, it will pave the way for more people like Ramli and Raja Affandi being fielded as direct candidates by BN in the future... Kemaman will be an interesting battleground," he said.
Last week, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani during his campaign here said BN has never closed the door on interested and potential candidates who are prepared to work together with the coalition.
The Kemaman parliamentary seat by-election is a straight fight between Samsuri
The Kemaman parliamentary seat by-election is a straight fight between Samsuri and Raja Affandi.
The by-election was called following the decision of the Terengganu Election Court on Sept 26 to annul the victory of Pas candidate Che Alias Hamid in GE15.