Gerakan’s relevance to non-Malay voters debatable, says analyst

 

Analyst James Chin says Gerakan’s role is mainly to provide a semblance of diversity for Perikatan Nasional. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: An analyst says Gerakan’s political relevance depends entirely on its alliance with Perikatan Nasional (PN), following claims by the party president of an increase in support since joining the opposition coalition.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania said the uptick in votes for Gerakan was largely due to the support of Bersatu and PAS rather than a direct appeal to non-Malay voters.

“The votes that go towards Gerakan primarily stem from Malay voters who support PAS and Bersatu, not necessarily from the non-Malay community,” he told FMT.

Gerakan president Dominic Lau recently said that his party remained relevant in Malaysia’s political landscape, citing an increase in the number of votes received at recent elections.

However, Chin said Gerakan’s role was mainly to provide a semblance of diversity for PN.

“Other than that, it is totally irrelevant. Even if it is based in Penang, it is rejected,” he said, adding that the party holds no power in the coalition.

Gerakan participated in the last state polls but won only one of the 36 seats it contested.

In Penang, it lost all 19 seats in which it had fielded candidates despite running on a PN ticket.

It was also defeated in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, in mostly mixed seats.

Its only victory was in the state constituency of Kulim in Kedah, where its candidate Wong Chia Zhen defeated Pakatan Harapan’s Awang Teh by a majority of 7,742 votes.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said Gerakan was riding on the coat-tails of PAS and Bersatu.

Speaking to FMT, he said Gerakan had failed to attract the support of non-Malays, adding that it would not appeal to them as long as it was affiliated with PAS.

However, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Gerakan was still an important part of PN due to its potential appeal to non-Malay voters – a demographic with which PAS and Bersatu struggle to connect.

In the context of PAS’s rhetoric in the last election, he said, Gerakan’s role of drawing the non-Malay vote was even more critical. - FMT