Amirudin points to ‘extraordinary racial campaign’ after PH loses Negeri Sembilan
He said the campaign period had been dominated by a surge in identity-driven politicking, which he said had created a stark divide between Malay-majority and non-Malay areas across the state.
SINAR DAILY REPORTER
SHAH ALAM – Pakatan Harapan (PH) election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has attributed the coalition's defeat in the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election to what he described as an extraordinary wave of racial politics and identity-based campaigning, rather than public dissatisfaction with the federal government's performance.
Speaking to reporters after unofficial results showed PH ceding power to the Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional (BN-PN) alliance, Amirudin rejected suggestions that the coalition's losses stemmed from voter resentment over unfulfilled federal promises.
"This is not about anger towards the federal government for failing to deliver its promises. The defeat is rooted in the current wave of racial sentiment and political identity politics.
"The wave of identity politics became the dominant issue this time, and it has created a major divide between Malay and non-Malay areas," he said.
He noted that the campaign period had been dominated by a surge in identity-driven politicking, which he said had created a stark divide between Malay-majority and non-Malay areas across the state.
Despite the setback, Amirudin maintained that Malay support for PH remained strong in several areas, even in seats the coalition lost.
He cited the Pilah state seat as an example, where PH's candidate narrowly lost by only about 700 votes.
He also cautioned that the racially charged tone of the campaign was not conducive to the state's development.
"This is not the direction that helps advance Negeri Sembilan," he said.
Looking ahead, Amirudin said PH's leadership would meet with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to map out the coalition's strategy, with roughly a year remaining before the next general election is due.
He said the party would focus on reinforcing its values, achievements and key policy pillars to voters during future campaigns, while calling on all political parties to move away from race-based campaigning.
Unofficial results showed the BN-PN alliance was reported to have secured 25 of the 36 state seats, with PH's defeat coming just weeks after the coalition also suffered a heavy loss in the Johor state election in July.
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