Kejayaaan Wawasan di PRN N Sembilan bukan atas kekuatan sendiri, kata penganalisis

Parti Wawasan, led by Hamzah Zainudin, secured a notable victory in its debut election performance in the Negeri Sembilan PRN, winning three out of four seats. Analysts predict this achievement will solidify Hamzah's position within Perikatan Nasional (PN). However, political analysts suggest the party's success is more influenced by PN's name, its diversified strength network, and the absence of opposition from the Barisan Nasional (BN) than by its core strength alone.

University Malaya political analyst Awang Azman Pawi noted that Wawasan's win in Gemas exemplifies success stemming from a combination of candidates, PN platform, and the lack of BN contenders. He compared this to Mambau, where Wawasan lost significantly to DAP, indicating the party still needs to build a robust grassroots support among urban voters, particularly the Chinese and Indian communities.

In Gemas, Wawasan's Ridzuan Ahmad retained a seat previously won with Bersatu, while Mambau saw Wawasan candidate Erik Michael lose to DAP's Lee Kai Yet by a margin of 12,103 votes. Azman explained that Wawasan used PN's symbol, received PAS support, faced no BN competition, and relied heavily on existing BN-PAS networks. However, the University of Technology Malaysia's Mazlan Ali pointed out that Wawasan's candidates will struggle to compete without PAS and overall PN network support, indicating the party still relies on PAS for electoral success.

"Its relationship with PAS and its position as a PN component party is the primary factor behind their electoral success," he said. In PRN Negeri Sembilan, Wawasan won the DUN seats of Gemas, Sikamat, and Klawang. Founded by Hamzah in June after being expelled from Bersatu amid a leadership crisis, Wawasan was officially accepted as PN's component party in July, despite opposition from Bersatu over the process and legitimacy of the decision.

Analysts believe the PRN Negeri Sembilan result will strengthen Wawasan's position to take over Bersatu's role within PN. However, Awang Azman believes Wawasan will remain a "more cooperative junior partner, not a political power equal to PN." Mazlan suggested the weak performance of Bersatu might force the party out of PN or keep it marginalized due to its growing loss of voter support in the coalition.

"In upcoming elections, seats previously won by Bersatu may be handed over to Wawasan for contesting," he added. Awang Azman noted that election results also proved that candidate coordination can unite Malay voters, weaken Bersatu, and reduce competition across various factions. However, he stressed that Wawasan cannot expect large seat gains solely based on its Negeri Sembilan performance.

"Wawasan needs to prove it can build branches, recruit worthy candidates, and gain voter support without solely relying on PAS and BN," he concluded.