00:00 On paper, the six state elections have nothing to do with Putrajaya.
00:06 Win or lose, Anwar Ibrahim and the unity coalition he leads will still be in power at federal level.
00:12 However, pundits believe the August 12th polls results will also reveal the level of public support for the unity government set up following the general elections last November.
00:21 For the first time, voters will have the opportunity to cast their votes, either for or against the Anwar administration.
00:29 Primarily because the coalition supporting him only came into being after GE15.
00:36 Anwar's administration has won praise for its strong stance against corruption, efforts to reduce the cost of living, and the recently launched Madani economy framework.
00:45 But it won't be a walk in the park against Perikatan Nasional.
00:49 The Malay-centric coalition did exceedingly well in the last general election and is hoping to capitalize again on the disgruntlement of the Malays with UMNO, the lynchpin of Barisan Nasional.
01:00 UMNO will be the main party fighting for the Malay votes on behalf of the unity government.
01:06 PAS and Bersatu have made it crystal clear that they intend to target seats which UMNO BN will be contesting in Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan.
01:15 That means these state elections will also serve as a gauge of voter sentiment towards a collaboration between PH and BN, especially UMNO.
01:24 It is definitely a referendum not only on Anwar and the unity coalition, but also on Zahid and UMNO.
01:31 If they are not able to pull the votes of the key Malay electorate, then questions will be asked of Anwar's federal government.
01:38 The stakes are indeed high for all sides.
01:41 Although these are state elections, their wider impact on national politics cannot be understated.
01:46 The results of the state polls on August 12th may well have a bearing on the future direction of the unity government and its key players.
01:53 Jason Desmond, FMT News.
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