PN’s ‘near majority’ win target in Penang unachievable, say analysts

 

Muhyiddin Yassin has expressed confidence that PN can achieve a near-majority win in the Penang election.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts have poured cold water on Muhyiddin Yassin’s target of Perikatan Nasional scoring a near-majority win in Penang at the upcoming state election.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid and Azmil Tayeb both said it was unrealistic for PN to win that many seats in Penang, which has been governed by DAP for three terms now.

“Even if we take all four parliamentary constituencies where Malays are in the majority or form a significant percentage of the population, you’ll only get 12 state seats there.

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“If PN is really targeting 20 to 21 seats, it must rely on Gerakan defeating its Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional opponents in Chinese-majority or mixed constituencies.

“And that can only happen if PH-BN puts up MCA candidates,” Fauzi told FMT.

Azmil believed PN could win 10 Malay-majority seats at most, describing the other mixed or non-Malay-majority seats as “not competitive for PN”.

“PN can boost its chances by appealing to non-Malays, but the possibility of (these voters) supporting PN is slim to none.

“PN also has not offered any substantive alternative policies to the current government and is only seen as playing with sentiments, which doesn’t bode well with non-Malays and Malays who are less hung up on identity politics,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fauzi was on the fence as to whether a lower voter turnout at the election favours PN.

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He said PH and BN supporters’ disillusionment over the two coalitions teaming up could see them staying away from the election, which could work in PN’s favour.

“But whether it will be enough to deliver crucial seats to PN remains debatable. Gerakan will have to trumpet its past contributions as the party which steered Penang into its present position as an industrial powerhouse,” said Fauzi.

Gerakan led the Penang state government between 1969 and 2008.

Azmil foresees a lower voter turnout for the state polls but said it will not have a major impact on the outcome of the election.

PN president Muhyiddin had expressed confidence that a near-majority win in Penang was within reach despite anticipating an uphill battle in the upcoming state election.

The former prime minister told the Penang PN Convention on Saturday that the coalition was capable of winning close to 20 state seats, with 21 needed to win a simple majority in the 40-member state assembly. - FMT