BARISAN NASIONAL FLAGS FLUTTER AS A PAS BALOON IN RELEASED IN THE OPEN FIELDS OF CHANGKAT JERING . RajKumar/TheSun
PAS’ decision not to contest the Sungai Kandis by-election appears to have paid off for Barisan Nasional, which saw increased vote percentages in several polling districts despite losing.
An early analysis of three polling districts – Kg Jawa, Bandar Putri Klang and Kg Bukit Naga – of the state seat’s 19 showed that BN gained ground on account of the Islamist party’s absence.
In the predominantly Malay Kg Jawa, Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam increased BN’s share of the vote from 19.7% to 30.5%, while Pakatan Harapan’s PKR improved marginally, from 64.1% to 68.7%.
In the 14th general election, PAS had 15.6% of the vote in Kg Jawa.
In Bukit Naga, BN saw a boost from 36.9% to 53.6%, while PKR improved 40.4% to 46% in yesterday’s by-election. PAS, in GE14, secured 22.6% of the vote in the polling district.
More telling, perhaps, is the non-Malay Bukit Putri Klang, where, with PAS’ absence, PKR dropped slightly from 77.6% to 75.1%, while BN almost doubled its share from 12.4% to 23.9%.
Penang Institute political analyst Dr Wong Chin Huat said while this was expected, there is a silver lining for PH.
“Had PAS and BN voters come out in full force, Umno would have gotten around 20,000 votes. But the result shows that it got less than 50%, compared with PH, which only dropped 36% (from 23,998 to 15,427).”
He said although PAS’ absence paid off for BN, the payoff for racial and religious rhetoric was poor, given the sizable non-Malay electorate in the constituency.
The Sungai Kandis electorate comprises 72% Malays, 16% Indians and 12% Chinese.
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“West coast voters may feel that such politics are unappealing, and there was no desperate need to vote for an unelectable party just to protest. Hence, Umno may want to rethink its positioning,” said Wong.
“Playing on more Malay anxiety may just confirm its desperation and hopelessness in the eyes of more pragmatic Malay voters.”
Low turnout
Despite PH’s Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni winning the by-election by 5,842 votes, the low turnout signalled election fatigue among voters.
The Sungai Kandis by-election recorded a 46% voter turnout, the lowest ever, beating the 49% recorded in the 2009 polls in Penanti, Penang.
“I think election fatigue is the main reason for the very low turnout,” said International Islamic University political science lecturer Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar.
On the campaign for the Sungai Kandis polls, he said there was complacency on the part of PKR.
“Also, I think both sides were unable to mobilise their voters.”
He said PAS’ delay in instructing members to vote for BN also cost the latter.
Although, the Islamist party did not campaign alongside BN, its secretary-general, Takiyuddin Hassan, had instructed members not to support PH in the by-election.
Similarly, a day before the polls, Kota Raja PAS chief Mohamed Diah Baharun told members to vote for BN. – https://www.themalaysianinsight.com
Low turnout a sign of protest against PH?
SHAH ALAM: The low voter turnout in the Sungai Kandis by-election – 49.4% as opposed to 85.6% in the May polls – could be due to political lethargy among voters, but also an indication of a “silent protest” at the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, said a political observer.
Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Awang Pawi said many who had voted for the coalition last May could have been frustrated by what they felt was a lack of seriousness on the part of ruling politicians over their election promises.
PH had vowed to implement 10 promises from its manifesto 100 days in power, but Awang Azman said only two were fulfilled so far.
“Constituents came out to vote because they were confident in PH fulfilling their manifesto, however the PH has not proved so,” said Awang Azman.
PKR’s Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni defeated Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Lokman Noor Adam in the Sungai Kandis by-election today, seen as the PH government’s first test since its general election victory three months ago.
Zawawi got 15,423 votes, while Lokman obtained 9,585 votes.
Only 49.4% of voters came to cast their ballots, according to the Election Commission (EC).
Saying voters could have lost interest, EC deputy chairman Othman Mahmood expressed surprise at the low turnout despite efforts to encourage people to come out to vote.
“Even the weather today was good,” he said.
– FMT
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