Perikatan loses KKB as voting trends stick
Perikatan Nasional could not win enough votes to cause an upset, having already achieved the most number of Malay votes it could get in the last election.
(The Vibes) – Non-Malay voters stood by Pakatan while opposition failed to win more Malay support, says analyst.
THERE were no significant changes to the voting trend in the Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB) by-election.
Ilham Centre’s Hisomudin Bakar said people voted the same way they did in the Selangor polls last August, allowing Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Pang Sock Tao to win the seat with 3,869 more votes than her nearest rival.
He said Perikatan Nasional could not win enough votes to cause an upset, having already achieved the most number of Malay votes it could get in the last election.
“In the last state polls, PN got 79% of the Malay vote. This time, it expected to get more Malay votes, and more Indian votes because of the protests (over perceived government neglect),” he said.
“But the results did not turn out as expected.”
In yesterday’s by-election, Pang of DAP won KKB after receiving 14,000 votes, defeating PN’s Khairul Azhari Saut who got 10,131 votes.
Independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin obtained 188 votes and PRM’s Hafizah Zainudin, 152 votes.
Hisomudin said that PN was eager to end DAP’s run in KKB, which the party has held since 2013.
“Malays, including young Malays, still reject DAP, PH, and the unity government.
“PH, meanwhile, depends entirely on non-Malay, especially Chinese and Indian, voters… which it did manage to obtain.”
Hisomudin said PN failed to secure more Malay support because its narratives were unsuitable for a mixed seat such as KKB.
“Other factors include the unsatisfactory performances of the PN Hulu Selangor lawmaker and Batang Kali and Hulu Bernam assemblymen,” he said.
Failed boycott call
On the other hand, Hisomudin said the PH-Barisan Nasional (BN) partnership had won over voters with their promise of a stable government at both state and federal levels.
“The BN machinery also seemed quite organised this time and was working hard to win back the trust of its members who had protested during the August state polls.
“It can be inferred from the results that Umno members had grown to accept the party decision to support the unity government,” he said.
Hisomudin said Indian votes also contributed to PH’s win in a by-election with a low voter turnout.
