Bersatu, Muhyiddin in precarious position ahead of Johor polls

 

Muhyiddin Yassin was the ‘poster boy’ for Perikatan Nasional at the Melaka elections last year, but the coalition secured only two seats. (Twitter pic)

PETALING JAYA: Bersatu and its president, Muhyiddin Yassin, are in a precarious position as they prepare for the Johor elections, say political analysts.

The party has an uphill struggle to gain support from non-Malay voters following its departure from Pakatan Harapan (PH) last year, and an election failure in Johor – Muhyiddin’s home state – will rebound on the future of the party and its president, the analysts say.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said Muhyiddin was under pressure to deliver “spectacular” results as he hailed from Muar and is the MP for Pagoh.

He said Muhyiddin’s leadership would be in question if Bersatu could not do better in Johor than its dismal performance at the Melaka elections in November, when Perikatan Nasional (PN) – the coalition that Bersatu leads – won only two of the 28 seats it contested.

Oh Ei Sun.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said Bersatu would struggle without the non-Malay votes that came their way through PH in the 2018 general election.

The multiracial fight against corruption was one of the driving factors that pushed PH to victory in the general election. Without PH, Bersatu would be unlikely to enjoy the same level of support as in 2018, he said.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid.

He said Muhyiddin’s decision not to seek re-election in Gambir could stem from a probable loss of non-Malay votes, while Oh said the decision could be interpreted as a sign of weakness or lack of confidence and left Muhyiddin’s leadership in question.

Electoral data showed that 41% of Muhyiddin’s support in the Gambir state seat came from Chinese and Indian voters.

Fauzi said Muhyiddin should have explained why he chose not to contest instead of keeping mum. He could have used his health condition as an acceptable reason, he said.

The Johor elections, to pick 56 members of the state assembly, must be held before March 23. The Election Commission is expected to meet on Wednesday to decide on the dates for nominations and polling. - FMT