GEORGE TOWN – Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) defeat in Melaka has reverberated to party chiefs here, with two Penang DAP leaders urging people not to over-analyse poll results as the country has just started reopening.
“There was a tentative crowd. People unsure of things with Covid-19 cases as well. So, the swing factor could not materialise as people were preoccupied with trying to regain their livelihoods after months of uncertainty due to the pandemic,” said DAP central executive committee member Zairil Khir Johari.
He added that political fatigue was another factor that drove away PH voters.
He expects things to be different during a national election where the voters will be able to be more confident going out to cast their ballots as the pandemic further subsides.
He also said the enforcement of the standard operating procedures was ineffective and lacked uniformity.
However, credit should be given to the victors, he said, as they managed to realise the needs, wants and desires of the electorate.
“We (PH) must do likewise. We must replicate our struggle to be one with the people.”
He added that PH leaders should not undervalue the quality of candidates they field as voters are now a discerning lot.
Meanwhile, DAP’s Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit, who was actively campaigning in Melaka, said the popular vote share that Barisan Nasional (BN) received (38%) was similar to the one it got during the 2018 general election.
So, there was no additional support for BN (who won a two-thirds majority in Melaka). It was PH that lost a substantial amount of popular votes.”
Lee said PH needs to regroup fast for Sarawak and the next general election.
“It will be a travesty if we do not learn from our mistakes at Melaka. We need to also ensure that our core supporters remain with us as the fight for a better Malaysia starts with us, not our rivals who are only obsessed with staying in power.”
He added that the Melaka election serves as a reminder that PH needs to be responsive to the needs of voters on a consistent basis.
DAP won four of the eight seats it contested in Melaka while Amanah retained Bukit Katil via Adly Zahari – PH’s chief minister candidate. However, PKR failed to win even a single seat despite running in 11 constituencies.
Umno, under BN’s banner, won 18 out of 20 seats contested while MCA took two and MIC gained one – giving the coalition 21 seats out of the 28 in Melaka.
Perikatan Nasional managed to snatch two via its Bersatu candidates.
Penang PKR vice-chairman and Kebun Bunga representative Jason Ong Khan Lee told The Vibes that PH needs to put its house in order first before the general election.
He said every PH party should correct the “imbalances” that stemmed from a number of defections which took place since last year.
“PH must heed a Chinese saying that ‘only when one’s house is in order, can one enjoy the splendour of prosperity and peace. So, the unity PH espouses needs to come from within.”
The defeat in Melaka is a wake-up call, he said, including in Penang, which has a similar demographic profile.
“We cannot expect constant support from the voters. We cannot be complacent although this is a unique election due to Covid-19 restrictions.”
Some of the oft-cited reasons for PH's poor showing yesterday was the low turnout rate among its core supporters since many outstation voters did not return to cast their ballots. – The Vibes, November 21, 2021
