KUALA LUMPUR – Pang Sock Tao’s triumph in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election on Saturday can be attributed to robust Chinese voter turnout, combined with Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) campaign collaboration with the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, said an election analyst.
The polls observer, G. Manimaran, also said the non-participation of MCA throughout the 11-day campaign of the by-election had minimal impact on the DAP candidate.
This, he said, indicates steadfast support of Chinese voters for DAP and PH, despite MCA’s absence.
The victory signals promising prospects for a stable government with PH and BN maintaining their cooperation, potentially retaining their two-thirds majority in the upcoming 16th General Election (GE16), he said.
Manimaran highlighted a significant increase in support from Chinese voters, attributing it to concerns over the DAP candidate’s performance and the perceived importance of the by-election.
“The percentage of voters from this (Chinese) group has increased this year, perhaps due to concern that the DAP candidate may lose the seat or win by a small margin.
“PH managed to secure votes from the group, despite some estimated 10 to 15% of voters being unhappy with the candidate, seeing that she is not from Kuala Kubu Baharu.”
“These concerns affect their minds on a large scale, resulting in the high turnout rate,” he told Scoop when contacted.
According to data compiled by Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE), 88.4% of Chinese voters cast their ballots in favour of PH, with 9.7% supporting Perikatan Nasional (PN), 1.2% backing the independent candidate, and 0.6% endorsing Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM).
In addition to the robust Chinese voter turnout, Manimaran highlighted a relatively lower participation among Indian voters in the by-election.
He attributed this trend to several factors, including dissatisfaction with the candidates contesting for the state assembly seat and the absence of “outside voters” who are registered to vote in the constituency but reside elsewhere.
For instance, only 46.7% of Indian voters turned out at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Ladang Nigel Gardner, he noted.
Manimaran suggested that negative campaign tactics might have eroded trust among voters, while some may have perceived the by-election as less significant compared to larger electoral events.
The early voting ballots also played a pivotal role in Pang’s victory, with Manimaran estimating that 70 to 75% of early voters shifted their support to PH.
“A more concentrated campaign during this by-election might have triggered the shift, compared to the state elections in August last year,” he said.
Additionally, he said the growing understanding and embodiment of unity government spirit among civil servants, as well as recent positive developments such as the 13% increase in the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), likely influenced voter sentiment.
Manimaran underscored the significance of DAP’s victory in Kuala Kubu Baharu and BN’s previous success in the Pelangai by-election as indicators of continuity for a unity government scenario in the upcoming GE16.
In the by-election, PH successfully defended the seat, with Pang securing a majority of 3,869 votes out of the 14,000 total votes cast.
Pang, a former press secretary to housing and local minister Nga Kor Ming, emerged victorious over PN’s Khairul Azhari Saut, who garnered 10,131 votes. Independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin received 188 votes, while PRM’s Hafizah Zainudin secured 152 votes.
The by-election was prompted by the passing of the incumbent Lee Kee Hiong due to cancer on March 21.
PN’s deputy chairman, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, attributed their loss to low voter turnout, emphasising the importance of active participation, especially among groups like those working outside of Kuala Kubu Baharu, who failed to seize the opportunity to return home and vote. – May 13, 2024
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