SHAH ALAM, July 15 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) will fine-tune its election strategy and campaign machinery for the Negeri Sembilan state election following a decline in support in the recent Johor state election.
PH election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said an analysis of the Johor election results showed the coalition needed to focus on rebuilding support among Malay voters while increasing backing from young voters.
“We had a fairly large core support base, but we experienced a significant decline in support among Malay voters in Johor.
“Insya-Allah, we will strengthen support, particularly among young voters, as there is still room for improvement based on data from every polling stream that we have analysed,” he told a press conference at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building (SSAAS) here today.
He said the PH leadership would hold a meeting tonight to formulate a more structured strategy in preparation for the Negeri Sembilan state election and elections in other states.
“...we need to change our campaign approach because in Negeri Sembilan we are the governing coalition, unlike in Johor where we were the opposition seeking to take over the state government,” he said.
Amirudin said the new strategy would also involve improving information dissemination and coordinating political messaging among PH component parties — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Amanah and DAP.
The newly appointed PH election director said efforts to defend Negeri Sembilan would be carried out in an integrated manner with the state leadership.
“I was only appointed election director yesterday to oversee PH’s election management, and I will certainly be actively involved in preparations for Negeri Sembilan.
“We will build on the early groundwork laid by Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar), with the necessary support to ensure a more organised campaign,” he said.
He said candidate selection and campaign strategies would also take local factors into account to ensure those fielded could secure voter support in their respective constituencies.
The Election Commission (EC) has set July 18 as nomination day for the Negeri Sembilan state election, followed by early voting on July 28 and polling on August 1. — Bernama
