KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) unexpected victories in dozens of parliamentary seats may have turned some heads, but observers say it comes with little surprise as the coalition has been consistent in its Malay-centric and anti-corruption messaging.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Azmil Tayeb said throughout its 15th general election (GE15) campaign, PN had constantly promoted itself as the “cleanest” coalition as none of its candidates were facing corruption charges in court.
Azmil noted that PN’s campaign motto of “Prihatin, Bersih, dan Stabil” (“Attentive, Clean, and Stable”) government had proven to be effective among constituents who voted for the coalition.
“During their ceramah, PN will focus on being ‘bersih’ by saying BN is corrupt and that a vote for BN is a vote for (its president Datuk Seri Ahmad) Zahid Hamidi as prime minister,” Azmil – who was on the coalition’s campaign trail – told The Vibes when contacted earlier this morning.
“At the same time, PN has pointed out that a vote for Pakatan Harapan means support for DAP, pointing to the corruption charges faced by (its chairman) Lim Guan Eng, who is embroiled in the (Penang) tunnel and bungalow cases.”
Furthermore, Azmil said, PN’s component party PAS has been able to consolidate its standing in Parliament, especially in Kelantan, by boasting its 32-year reign in the east coast state.
Interestingly, he said, PAS is a social media-savvy party that has taken advantage of newer platforms such as TikTok, which has helped it reach out to young voters.
“If you don’t get candidates on TikTok, you’re going to lose the youth votes,” Azmil said.
“People tend to underestimate PAS, especially those in the urban areas who paint them as a backward and provincial party made up of religious fanatics, but it is actually a well-oiled party with well-run machinery and a strong grassroots movement that can easily be mobilised.”
Azmil also pointed to the shock defeat faced by PH’s Nurul Izzah Anwar, who failed to defend her Permatang Pauh seat at the hands of PAS’ Muhammad Fawwaz Mat Jan, saying that the later was an ustaz who was popular on TikTok and had managed to attract young voters.
However, he noted that several other factors led to Nurul Izzah's loss, as some constituents told him that she was not highly visible in the constituency during the previous term.
“Some people in Permatang Pauh say that Nurul Izzah has not been attentive to the constituency because she spent a lot of time in Kuala Lumpur and does not show her face much,” he said.
“Especially for Malay voters, it’s important to have a personal touch.”
After the shock win of 73 parliamentary seats, PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claimed that his coalition received a letter from Istana Negara with instructions from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, adding that the coalition leaders will have a meeting and an answer by this evening.
Muhyiddin, who was a former prime minister, defended his Pagoh parliamentary seat for the sixth term, with a majority of 10,007.
PAS had also made a clean sweep of all 14 and eight parliamentary seats in Kelantan and Terengganu, respectively, apart from taking all three federal seats in Perlis alongside Bersatu.
At the time of writing, PN is neck and neck with PH as both coalitions have gained above 70 seats each, effectively sidelining BN.
However, no single coalition has been able to secure a simple majority of 112 seats out of the total 222 parliamentary constituencies.
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun agreed with the proposition that PN and PAS were the “biggest winners” of GE15.
He told The Vibes that results showed PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang becoming prime minister was on the cards.
Oh also attributed PN’s gains in GE15 to the dilemma faced by the Malay majority, especially in the rural areas.
Yes, (it) looks like a Hadi premiership is distinctly possible,” Oh said.
“The conservative Malays have echoed prevailing sentiments that BN’s Umno is incorrigible, but still can’t bring themselves to support PH, so they supported PN.”
Prior to the announcement of the GE15 results, parliamentary observer Ong Ooi Heng suggested the Westminster convention of prioritising the coalition that won the most seats should come into play when no coalition can claim a simple majority.
However, Ong said the coalitions should be given ample time to negotiate the formation of a unity government, and that a two-week period would be sufficient.
“The Agong has a role to play (in this) as the constitutional monarch. If the monarch can approve of such a convention, then that would be good for the long-term development of democracy in Malaysia,” Ong said.
“The coalition that gains the majority of seats has the mandate of the people through the voting process and that is why priority (to form the government) should be given to them.
“But normally, the role of the monarch only comes in after political coalitions have been given enough time (to gather the numbers and) to form the government.” – The Vibes, November 20, 2022
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