Did Umno really scare up strong Malay support? Not quite, shows study
In GE13, Malay votes in favour of Barisan Nasional increased in most states, a Merdeka Center study revealed. TMI pic, August 13, 2013.
(TMI) – Umno’s election strategy of ratcheting up fear among Malays over the loss of political power actually yielded only a slight increase in Malay support in the past general election.
In contrast, right-wing rhetoric, unresolved issues of race and religion as well as the belief that Pakatan Rakyat should be given a shot at running the country saw a 20% swing of Chinese voters and 5% swing of Indian voters away from Barisan Nasional, compared with 2008.
In fact, what really did help Umno tap the rural vote was its strong political machinery there as well as the villagers’ continued dependence on government aid and services. Cash handouts under BR1M also played a part.
These facts were revealed by a Merdeka Center study of voting patterns in the past election. To determine the voting pattern by ethnicity, the independent pollster analysed 9,000 polling districts.
The study isolated polling districts with over 90% of a particular community and then compiled the lists according to the state and rural areas versus an urban setting.
