Survey confirms BN a 'kampong' party: Debunks 'Chinese tsunami' theory

A research firm's recent survey on the results of the May 5 general election has further debunked the theory by Barisan Nasional leaders that a 'Chinese tsunami' had led to the coalition's losses and Pakatan Rakyat's gains.

Politweet, which studies the use of social media in Malaysian politics, found that the majority of the 89 parliamentary seats won by PR are in fact mixed constituencies, the bulk of which are located in constituencies it classified as urban.

On the other hand, the survey sided with the theory about the existence of an urban-rural divide, with urban voters overwhelmingly voting against BN.

Dividing the 222 seats into three categories rural, semi-urban and urban based on details from both the Election Commission and Google Maps satellite imagery, the study noted that out of the 133 seats won by BN, 108 or some 80 percent are rural seats, while another 25 are semi-urban and urban seats.

As for PR, 80 percent of the seats it won (72 out of 89 seats) are from semi-urban and urban electorate.

When seen from their racial composition, only 28 of these 72 seats can be categorised as Chinese-majority.

"That is the picture of the political urban-rural divide. BN represents the rural majority and can retain power with rural and semi-urban seats alone. This election highlighted PR’s weak areas which are rural seats, Bumiputra Sabah majority and Bumiputra Sarawak majority seats," said PoliTweet, adding that its analysis of rural seats may not be ideal and would be relooked in the future.

The full analysis can be read at the group's blog post (click here).

- Harakah Daily