Tough for PN to achieve Muhyiddin’s 20-seat Penang target, says leader

 

A Perikatan Nasional leader says the 14-day campaign period is too short for the coalition to convince voters of its cause.

PETALING JAYA: A Perikatan Nasional leader has admitted that it will be difficult for the coalition to take over Penang despite PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin’s target of winning 20 seats in the coming state election.

The leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said this was because of the majority Chinese population in Penang firmly supporting Pakatan Harapan.

“If it is the Chinese community that determines who governs (the state), it will be challenging for PN to capture Penang,” the source told FMT.

He said there was also no guarantee that PN will win the predominantly Malay populated seats in the state, adding that the coalition had its work cut out to garner support.

Analysts have predicted that PN could win 12 seats in Penang, nine short of a simple majority to form the government in the 40-seat state legislative assembly.

The PN leader said the 14-day campaign period for the election left little time for PN to convince voters who were not aligned to the coalition.

“Many people remain unaware of our cause. How many places (in Penang) can we go to in just 14 days?” he said.

Meanwhile, Penang PN Youth chief Zuzalee Ariffin said the coalition, which he claimed enjoys the support of 1% of Chinese voters and 4% of Indian voters in the state, only needed a minor shift in support from these groups to win the election.

He said that based on PN’s research, 93% of the Chinese community currently support PH and 5% support Barisan Nasional. PH enjoyed the support of 84% of Indian voters while 12% supported BN.

Regarding Malay votes, Zuzalee claimed that PN dominated with 55% support, followed by BN (28%) and PH (15%).

Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu will hold elections on Aug 12, with nomination day set for July 29 and early voting on Aug 8. - FMT