PH’s electoral woes deepen after Negeri Sembilan loss

 Last night’s defeat was the coalition’s third poor showing after Sabah and Johor, and raises fresh questions over its appeal ahead of GE16.

Pakatan Harapan’s defeat was made worse by the losses of two of its most prominent leaders in the state – DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook and former menteri besar Aminuddin Harun.

PETALING JAYA:

Pakatan Harapan’s electoral woes deepened after it lost control of Negeri Sembilan, a state it had dominated since 2018.

The coalition, which entered last night’s election with 17 seats, was reduced to 11 seats, while Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional, through its pact, secured a two-thirds majority to form the next state government.

The defeat was made worse by the losses of two of PH’s most prominent leaders in Negeri Sembilan – state chairman and former menteri besar Aminuddin Harun, who was beaten in Linggi, and DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook, who lost Chennah in one of the election’s biggest upsets.

Aminuddin, who had led the state government since 2018, was defeated by BN’s Faizal Ramli by 2,976 votes after the PKR vice-president left his long-held Sikamat constituency to contest the Umno stronghold.

Loke was one of the two DAP incumbents to lose as the party retained nine of the 11 seats it won in 2023. He lost Chennah to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by 688 votes.

The result marks PH’s third poor electoral outing in recent months, following disappointing performances in the Sabah and Johor state elections, where the coalition also struggled to translate its support base into victories.

As in Johor, the setback was felt across all three PH component parties, though the impact varied.

DAP remained PH’s strongest performer, but Loke’s defeat raises questions over the party’s ability to protect even its most prominent leaders amid a broader decline in PH’s support.

PKR, which contested the largest number of seats for PH at 18, faced the biggest setback, losing 16 seats and failing to make significant gains despite fielding candidates in half of the state’s constituencies. It previously held five.

Amanah was wiped out despite expanding its contest to seven seats. The party failed to retain Klawang, its sole seat before the election, as the PAS splinter again struggled to establish itself as an electoral force.

Last night’s defeat is likely to intensify scrutiny of PH’s electoral strategy, particularly as it prepares for state polls in Melaka and Sarawak, as well as the next general election (GE16)

PH’s struggle to withstand a coordinated challenge from BN and PN once again highlights the coalition’s failure to make sufficient inroads with Malay voters, who make up the largest share of the electorate, to remain competitive at GE16.

The result also underscored PH’s growing reliance on DAP as its electoral anchor. However, Loke’s defeat in Chennah would raise questions over whether even DAP can continue to provide a reliable electoral base for the coalition.

The outcome could place greater pressure on DAP to reassess its strategy ahead of its upcoming special congress, as PH seeks to arrest its string of disappointing electoral results. - FMT