Umno lost out because voters see it as inferior to others: analysts

PETALING JAYA – The failure of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) to make inroads in the Malay heartland of Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu is due to a “revolution” by voters, said Universiti Malaya political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi.

Awang said the issue of race and religion was just a small part of why the PH/BN coalition did badly in the state elections.

He said many underprivileged and low-income Malay voters felt they were being left out of the Madani economy plans, and added that they were sending a message to the unity government that they too want a piece of the economic pie and success.

“The unity government needs to take a closer look at the Madani economy plan and make it a bit more Malay-centric to attract these voters.

“Low-income Malays, like farmers and fishermen, continue to face hardships, and feel that Perikatan Nasional (PN) might be able to help them, but they are actually hoping for more help from the federal government,” he said.

Awang said the unity government needs to pay heed to the message the Malay voters have sent them – help us or we will not vote for you.

Awang said PN is only a refuge for these voters as they feel by turning to PN, the federal government will double its efforts to help them in their times of hardship to win them over.

He said another factor that contributed to the loss of seats by the PH/BN coalition was the low voter turnout, as some supporters took the view that no matter what happens at state level, the unity government will remain in power.

He said the DAP factor also played a part in Malay voters turning away from the party, as some feel they cannot trust DAP

Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan said the PH/BN coalition had tasked Umno with attracting Malay voters, but it failed miserably.

“Although Umno failed, it is not fair to put the blame on Umno itself because they had difficulty attracting the Malay voters as DAP was seen as their partner.

“Umno is seen as weak at the federal level by Malay voters, who have lost trust in the party. As PAS is part of PN, the Malays have no qualms voting for PN.”

He said they see PN as the party safeguarding Malay rights and Islam.

Azmi said it is natural and easy to blame Umno for the loss of the Malay voters’ support, but the voters’ perception is that the party is not an equal partner at the federal level.

He pointed out that Umno did well in Negri Sembilan compared with Penang and Selangor, because of the perception that Umno’s strength is on par with PH. 

He added that voters felt confident as former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan was in the fray during the state election, giving Umno an impetus.

“The reason the results for Umno were totally different in Negri Sembilan was because Umno was seen as a strong party in the state.

“For Umno to win over the Malay voters, the party needs to be made stronger at the federal level so that it can go face to face with DAP and be seen as on par with them.” – The Vibes, August 15, 2023