PH faces a crisis of trust among Malay voters

SHAH ALAM – The 16th Negeri Sembilan state election results not only saw a shift in the seat balance but also sent a clear political message to Pakatan Harapan (PH) regarding the coalition's greatest challenge in restoring Malay voter confidence.

PH’s decline from 17 seats in the 2023 state election to 11 seats this time demonstrates that its campaign strategy and narrative throughout the election failed to penetrate Malay voter sentiment.

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohd Izani Mohd Zain said PH needs to carry out a comprehensive strategy overhaul to regain the trust of Malay voters following its drop in performance.

He said the outcome reflected the cohesion of the Malay vote, which desires a new government perceived as capable of defending their rights and position.

"PH needs to rethink how to instill confidence in Malay-Muslim voters.

"PH's campaign, which focused on specific issues such as the Tabung Haji Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), failed to influence Malay votes and was instead seen as backfiring," he said.

Commenting on DAP's position within PH, Izani said the party has now become a liability to the coalition.

"Malay politics remains the core of Malaysian politics; hence, DAP's image needs to be seen as friendly towards Malay politics, not the opposite.

"However, PH's decline cannot be placed solely on DAP's shoulders; PKR and Amanah must also shoulder the responsibility of garnering support from Malay voters," he added.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Political Research Institute director Associate Professor Dr Mashitah Mohd Udin said PKR and Amanah recorded the most disappointing performances within the PH coalition.

She noted that DAP remained the strongest party in PH by winning nine seats, despite losing Chennah and Repah.

"PKR only won two seats after losing Sikamat, Ampangan and Pilah, while Amanah failed to secure a single seat out of the seven contested, including the loss of Klawang.

"The defeat of DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke to the MCA candidate is a major blow," she said.

According to Mashitah, PH must also acknowledge that communication strategies and harsh statements from some DAP leaders have hampered efforts by PKR and Amanah to win Malay support.

However, she noted that DAP should not be viewed entirely as a liability, as the party also played a crucial role in preventing PH from suffering a larger defeat.

"The real issue is not DAP's existence, but a combination of three weaknesses: DAP being overly dominant in terms of seats, PKR and Amanah being too weak in Malay-majority areas, and some DAP leaders speaking too freely without considering the impact on their coalition partners," she said.