PN can’t rely on Malay majority alone, says analyst
Ibrahim said voters, especially younger ones, demanded more meaningful debate and were quick to dismiss outdated racial and religious tropes.
SHAH ALAM – Perikatan Nasional (PN) needs to come to terms with the realities of a multicultural Malaysia, rather than relying solely on winning 70 per cent of the Malay vote.
Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research programme director Ibrahim Suffian said PN had to rethink its strategy, as the momentum it enjoyed from 2022 to 2023 had likely peaked.
"Not all Malays buy their messages on insecurity and religious sentiments.
"At a time when global conditions are uncertain, people value stability and hard working leaders that try to address pocketbook issues and expand the national economy," he said when contacted.
Ibrahim also pointed out that PN needed to expand its message beyond race and religion by offering practical solutions for challenges such as underemployment and inflation.
This, he said, would require proper research and pilot projects, especially since the coalition governed several states.
However, any progress made had failed to reach voters, he added.
"PN still has a sizable share of the Malay electorate, I estimate around 45 per cent. But it cannot win over non Malays to their cause," he said.
Ibrahim said voters, especially younger ones, demanded more meaningful debate and were quick to dismiss outdated racial and religious tropes.
He also stressed that young voters recognised the government’s efforts to boost the economy.
"Even if results had yet to materialise, they were willing to give the administration a chance," he said.
The by-election result showed that while Barisan Nasional (BN) had yet to fully win over the Malay vote, its collaboration with PH helped it recapture non-Malay support, something the coalition had struggled to regain since 2008.
BN retained the Ayer Kuning state seat in Perak with a significantly larger majority, as its candidate Dr Mohamad Yusri Bakir won the by-election with 11,065 votes.
He defeated PN's Abdul Muhaimin Malek, who secured 6,059 votes and Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) KS Bawani, who received 1,106 votes.
The Election Commission announced that Yusri secured the seat with a majority of 5,006 votes, more than double the 2,213-vote majority that BN achieved in the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022.
The Ayer Kuning by-election was called following the death of incumbent assemblyman Ishsam Shahruddin on Feb 22 due to a heart attack.
Ishsam had won the seat in GE15 with 9,088 votes (38.73 per cent), ahead of Pakatan Harapan’s Mohd Nazri Hashim (6,875 votes), PN’s Muhammad Noor Farid Zainal (6,812 votes), Bawani (586 votes) and Pejuang’s Maziah Salim (105 votes).
Voter turnout for the by-election was 58.07 per cent, a noticeable drop compared to the 74.85 per cent turnout recorded in 2022, when there were 31,940 registered voters.
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