DAP wouldn’t have won Bangi without Malay support, says MP

 Vice-chairman Syahredzan Johan says DAP would not have won 40 seats in GE15 if it did not have Malay voter support.

DAP vice-chairman Syahredzan Johan questioned whether Wee Jeck Seng’s MCA still represented the Chinese community, given its sharp decline in support over the past two decades.

PETALING JAYA:

DAP would not have won parliamentary seats such as Bangi in the last general election (GE15) if the party did not have the support of Malay voters, says its vice-chairman Syahredzan Johan.

Responding to a jibe from MCA vice-president Wee Jeck Seng, Syahredzan said DAP remained an inclusive party that sought the support of Malaysians of all backgrounds.

“DAP is a multiracial party. We want the support of all races – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazan, Iban, and others. If not a single Malay voter had backed DAP (in GE15), it would have been impossible for us to win 40 parliamentary seats.

“I wouldn’t have been able to help DAP defend the Bangi seat, where Malay voters make up the majority, if it weren’t for Malay voters,” the Bangi MP told FMT.

The electorate in Bangi, held by DAP since 2008 when it was known as Serdang, comprises 48.7% Malay voters, followed by the Chinese (36.8%), Indians (11.1%) and others (2.4%).

Wee was quoted by Sin Chew as saying DAP should reflect on why it had failed to garner Malay support, claiming the community backed MCA instead out of respect and recognition of the Barisan Nasional component’s contributions.

The four-term Tanjung Piai MP said DAP appeared fixated on attacking MCA when it should instead ask itself why it continued to be rejected by most Malay voters.

Firing back at Wee, Syahredzan questioned if MCA still represented Chinese voters as it had seen a sharp decline in the community’s support over the past two decades.

“A more relevant question is this: why does MCA only have the support of less than 15% of the Chinese?” he asked.

Separately, Perak DAP vice-chairman Aziz Bari described Wee’s remarks as an assumption not based on data.

“Was there any survey or study done that supports his statement? It’s merely another claim from MCA,” he said.

DAP’s 40 seats in the Dewan Rakyat make it the second-largest party in Parliament, after PAS, and the largest in the government bloc. MCA has two.

However, Pakatan Harapan has fared badly in recent state elections, from being wiped out of the Sabah assembly in November to losing multiple key strongholds during the Johor polls last month.

MCA has also superseded DAP in the Johor assembly with eight seats to the PH component’s six.

The last time MCA won more seats than DAP in an election was in 2008, in the Pahang and Johor state assembly elections. - FMT