BN-PN alliance can’t rely on vote transfers, says Adly

 The Melaka PH chief says supporters of the two coalitions might not all embrace the alliance, while new voters could also affect the outcome.

Melaka PH chief Adly Zahari with supporters at a community event in the Bukit Katil constituency, where he seeks a third term. (Facebook pic)

MELAKA:

The electoral alliance of Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional in the Melaka state election does not guarantee a full transfer of votes between their supporters, state Pakatan Harapan chairman Adly Zahari said today.

He said supporters of the two coalitions might not all embrace the alliance, while new voters could also influence the election outcome.

In previous elections, some voters had chosen PN because they did not want to support BN, and the cooperation could therefore affect their existing support base. “The same applies to BN,” he said.

He said the highest vote transfer rate recorded in the recent Negeri Sembilan state election was 70% to BN.

“The remaining 30% of BN votes might not go to PN. In Melaka, however, the rate could be 60% or even 50%, depending on how their supporters respond to the cooperation,” he said while campaigning for re-election in Bukit Katil for a third term.

Adly, a former Melaka chief minister, said there were nearly 4,000 new voters in Bukit Katil whose presence could also influence voting patterns, as most had no strong allegiance to any political party.

He said Bukit Katil is a mixed constituency, with Malays accounting for about 65% of voters, followed by Chinese (29%) and Indians (5%). However, playing on racial and religious sentiments did not guarantee support, as loyalties were divided among several political parties.

“In the previous state election, Malay support for PH exceeded 27%, and we will try to increase that figure,” he said.

Adly is challenged by Ridzuan Sarif of PN, Aliza Che Amran (Bersama) and Abu Bakar Sabudin (Independent) in a four-cornered contest for the seat. In the 2021 election, Adly retained the seat with a majority of 1,057 votes.

Early voting takes place on Nov 10, with polling on Nov 14. - FMT