Lower non-Malay turnout possible sign of discontent with PH-BN ties
(FMT) : The low turnout among non-Malay voters in the Mahkota by-election may be a sign of dissatisfaction with Pakatan Harapan’s alliance with former rival Barisan Nasional, says a political analyst.
Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said the dismal turnout suggests a sense of discontent, but fell short of being a “full-scale boycott”.
“These voters may feel alienated by PH’s cooperation with a party they associate with past governance issues,” he told FMT.
However, Azman said that Chinese and Indian voters have historically been less inclined to participate in by-elections where the outcome seems pre-determined.
“They could be residing in big cities and did not see the urgency to return to their hometowns to vote,” he said, describing the Mahkota by-election as not crucial on a national scale.
BN candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah was elected the new Mahkota assemblyman on Saturday after defeating Perikatan Nasional’s Haizan Jaafar with a landslide majority of 20,648 votes.
He obtained 27,995 votes, close to matching the combined 28,056 votes cast for PH and BN in 2022, when the two parties were rivals.
However, a DAP source revealed that the voter turnout rate remained low among Chinese (32%) and Indian voters (34%), while the highest turnout rate (63%) was among Malay voters.
James Chin, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, said the low Chinese voter turnout could have been a reaction to Umno’s firebrand Dr Akmal Saleh, particularly his remarks against DAP’s Teresa Kok in a spat over halal certification.
“While the Chinese still voted for BN, many of them probably didn’t come out to vote because they are unhappy with Akmal’s controversial statement and Umno’s inability to control him,” he said.
Chin also cautioned against using the Mahkota by-election results as a barometer for future elections, as Malaysians tend to forget political controversies over time.
If Akmal kept a low profile and refrained from making controversial statements, the issue would blow over, he said. However, Chinese voter turnout could be even lower in the future if Akmal continued to make contentious statements.
In a similar vein, Syed Arabi Idid, a professor of political communications, said that by-election results typically do not capture national sentiments. “The next general election is still some time away and new national issues would have emerged by then,” he said.
The current Dewan Rakyat’s tenure expires in November 2027 and elections must be held by February 2028 at the latest, if not called earlier.
Source : Free Malaysia Today
