KUALA LUMPUR – He is being touted as Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) chief minister candidate for Malaysia’s richest state, Selangor. But former senior minister for the economy Azmin Ali’s rallies in his hometown seat of Hulu Kelang struggle to attract hundreds, let alone the thousands commonly seen thronging his events in the past.

To be fair, they are “ceramah kelompok”, a Malay term for smaller gatherings in housing estates, rather than “ceramah perdana” mega rallies with the opposition coalition’s top national leaders such as former premier Muhyiddin Yassin and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) president Hadi Awang.