KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) officials are intensifying their efforts to ensure equal attention is given to non-Malay voters as the state elections are around the corner, recognising their significance in determining electoral outcomes.
The Star today reported that fearing a repeat of previous elections, the 15th General Election (GE15) last year, and the Johor and Melaka state polls in 2022 and 2021, respectively where a low turnout among non-Malay supporters had adverse effects on the results, the ruling coalition aims to prevent any potential disenchantment among these communities.
“We will strive to mobilise everybody to vote,” Selangor DAP organising secretary Lau Weng San was quoted as saying by the news portal when asked about the possibility of a lower turnout among Chinese and Indian voters.
He said the ruling coalition aims to secure a high voter turnout from all communities in the upcoming polls, specifically highlighting Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, where elections are expected to take place in August.
Lee Chean Chung from PKR, another PH leader, stressed that every voter’s voice matters and urged the public to recognise the significance of their vote.
“Not voting is not a smart way to respond to what the country is going through. There are two blocs competing in these elections and they have different policies, competencies and directions,” the PKR communications director was quoted as saying.
According to the news portal, a study conducted by political analyst Prof Bridget Welsh of the University of Nottingham-Malaysia’s Asia Research Institute revealed that the turnout of Chinese and Indian voters dropped by 14 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively, in the GE15 compared to the previous election.
In her study published in March, she said that one factor contributing to the decrease in turnout was the financial inability of outstation voters to travel back and vote, and the feeling that their support held no significance.
Prof Welsh’s research indicated that voters tend to stay home when they perceive their votes as inconsequential or when they believe their long-supported party or coalition disregards their significance.
The decline in Chinese voter turnout during GE15 had an impact on PH’s performance in parliamentary seats such as Lumut, Parit Buntar and Kuantan.
To avoid a repeat of this trend, PH officials are concerned about the need to actively engage with Indian and Chinese voters early in the campaigning process.
“As we have seen in the Johor and Melaka state elections, the turnout was low because outstation voters did not return as they felt that the elections wouldn’t affect the price of eggs,” a Penang PH official, who preferred not to be named, was quoted as saying.
Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall head Ooi Heng, echoed this sentiment, expressing a lack of enthusiasm among Chinese voters regarding the state elections.
“Among some Chinese voters, there is the feeling that even if they don’t go back to vote, Pakatan will still win in Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor,” Ooi Heng was quoted as saying, referring to the states that have the highest concentration of Chinese voters.
According to Hisommudin Bakar, a pollster from the Ilham Centre, the turnout rate among non-Malays will vary across the six states, as not all have a significant number of outstation voters.
“For instance, Selangor will likely have a higher turnout from all communities because most of their voters live and vote there. So, they don’t even need a day off to travel to vote,” the executive director of the Ilham Centre was quoted as saying.
Prof Welsh’s study also indicated that Chinese voter turnout in Selangor during GE15 was 75 per cent, while Negri Sembilan and Penang saw turnouts of 74 per cent. Whereas, for Indian voters, the turnout rates were 81 per cent in Selangor, 77 per cent in Penang, and 74 per cent in Negeri Sembilan.
Hisommudin suggested that non-Malay communities could be motivated to vote if they perceived the Opposition coalition, Perikatan Nasional (PN), gaining momentum during the campaign.
“Non-Malays do not want to see PAS coming to power in the states that PH controls, so their turnout rate will go up if they see PN taking a hardline stance,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
