Who really won in Negeri Sembilan?

 The return of identity politics means that Malaysia is the biggest loser.

On paper, it is clear who the victors are in the Negeri Sembilan state election, but there is still a need to ask: Who really won, and who actually lost?

Let’s analyse Barisan Nasional’s performance. BN bagged only 18 seats, one short of the simple majority needed to form the state government. BN needed Perikatan Nasional’s seven seats, making the latter the kingmaker.

But it also means that BN is now beholden to another coalition that can dictate terms, with the tacit understanding that a dissatisfied PN could “break” the state government just as it helped form it.

As for the votes that BN won, how many can it really claim to be from its own supporters or fence-sitters? How many of the votes BN obtained were transferred from PN, particularly PAS?

The understanding that BN and PN hammered out meant there was, in reality, no blanket support for Umno and BN, which is why BN should not feel too pleased with its performance.

Chinese voters

Here’s another point to ponder. Did the non-Malay vote, particularly the Chinese vote, return to BN’s fold? Not really.

DAP still had the majority of Chinese voters in its pocket. If it had not, the party would have suffered another wipeout, as it did in Sabah.

Chinese voters may have been angered enough by PN election director Sanusi Nor’s “Tanah Melayu” remarks to come out and cast their ballots.

However, Sanusi’s remarks, along with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s theme of Malay unity, could also have contributed to a strong Malay voter turnout.

PH’s standing

Now let us look at Pakatan Harapan. Did it really lose, considering the situation it was in?

Firstly, PH went into the election alone, with no partners. In the previous state election, it partnered with BN in an alliance inspired by the federal unity government.

PH and BN governed the state together until 14 Umno assemblymen decided to withdraw their support for Aminuddin Harun, then the menteri besar.

(PH was never in the driving seat and had to rely on help from its “enemies” — ironically, the situation BN is in, after Saturday.)

Although PH’s standing was reduced to 11 seats from the previous 17, the party did not actually lose Negeri Sembilan because the coalition never had a firm grip on the state to begin with.

Winners and losers

Next, we look at the non-Malay vote. I had expected non-Malay voters to give DAP a drubbing, but they did not. There was also an increase in voter turnout.

So, in the end, who were the real winners and losers? For me, PN, PAS and Wawasan were the clear winners. Hamzah Zainudin’s party won three of the four seats it contested in its maiden outing under the PN banner.

Wawasan’s win is a lesson that Rafizi Ramli’s Bersatu should heed. New parties need influential partners. No person or party is an island.

And the real losers? For me, it is Malaysians and Malaysia. We are, sadly, reverting to identity politics.

According to Pakatan Harapan election director Amirudin Shari, racial rhetoric was rife in the run-up to the polls.

Malay voters, it seems, were captivated by the idea of a Malay-Muslim political empire more than by the billions of ringgit in losses recorded by Tabung Haji, which, by the way, was managed by Malays.

The Malay electorate seemingly ignored the development that PH has ushered in or is working to deliver. Malays, it seems, are more comfortable with a 60-year-old mindset.

Make no mistake, this is the stark reality of Malaysian and Malay politics for the foreseeable future. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.