KUALA LUMPUR – DAP must still demonstrate its value to Umno in persuading supporters to back Barisan Nasional (BN), despite Umno’s landslide victory in the Mahkota by-election, a political analyst said.
Azmi Hassan from Akademi Nusantara noted that low voter turnout, which the Election Commission reported at just 53.84% of the 66,318 registered voters, indicates a need for action from DAP. Only 35,705 voters cast their ballots.
BN’s Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah secured 27,995 votes, far outstripping Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, who garnered 7,347 votes. The 20,658-vote majority was nearly four times the margin achieved by Syed Hussien’s predecessor, the late Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, who won by 5,166 votes.
Speaking to Scoop, Azmi suggested that a significant portion of the low turnout might stem from “a lack of enthusiasm among DAP and Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters to participate in the vote.”
“I think the onus is on DAP to prove that Umno can benefit from working together with PH, but this (vote turnout) again demonstrates that Umno just cannot rely on (either) PH or DAP supporters.
“(The results of this) Mahkota (by-election) really shows that the working relationship is not working (well), especially when it comes to Umno and DAP.
“So far (it seems like) Umno cannot benefit(from the partnership),” he said.
Azmi added that Umno’s grassroots may question the party leadership about maintaining its alliance with DAP and PH, given the low turnout in this by-election.
He also warned that DAP risks losing out if it doesn’t work harder to rally its supporters behind BN, as both DAP and PH need Malay voter support – something only Umno, not PKR or Amanah, can provide.
Tensions had flared between DAP and Umno ahead of the by-election, following a public spat between Seputeh MP and DAP vice-chair Teresa Kok and Umno Youth Chief Datuk Dr Muhammad Akmal Saleh over mandatory halal certification.
The row escalated when Akmal referred to Kok as a “nyonya tua” and suggested placing a “non-halal” sticker on her forehead, prompting a defamation suit from Kok against the Umno leader.
Azmi, along with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Associate Professor Mazlan Ali, suggested that the rift over the halal issue, and the hardline stance taken by Akmal, might have contributed to low turnout among Chinese voters traditionally aligned with PH.
However, Mazlan contended that the personal dispute between Kok and Akmal would not damage the broader cooperation between DAP and Umno.
“There are many factors, but one of them is that this is a personal fight between both Kok and Akmal, and DAP and Umno have nothing to do with this issue.
“Plus, other Umno leaders have good working relationships with DAP. I think the working partnership will be strengthened so that they can face the 16th general election together,” he told Scoop.
Mazlan also pointed out that the low Chinese voter turnout rate is caused by the fact that many of them who are working in Klang Valley and Singapore did not return home to vote.
Unity govt in Johor: yes or no?
Prior to the by-election, Johor Amanah’s chairman Aminolhuda Hassan reportedly expressed hope that the BN-controlled state government would form a unity government should Umno win the by-election.
The current state government was formed by BN after it scored a landslide victory in the 2022 state elections, with the coalition winning 40 seats while PH only won 12.
Asked whether the state government should entertain Amanah’s wishes now that BN has retained Mahkota, Mazlan said that the former should do so following the bigger majority gained by BN this time around thanks to its partnership with PH.
“Maybe the (Johor) Menteri Besar (Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi) can reshuffle the exco by taking in some assemblymen from PH to join the state government. This (reshuffle) will further strengthen their already close working relationship,” he added.
However, Azmi poured cold water on the idea, pointing out that the possible low voter turnout rate from the PH base has lost Amanah or even PH their justification to pressure Umno to form such a government, even if PH eventually asked Johor BN to consider it.
He also said that the BN’s surprising success in getting a bigger majority, despite the low voter turnout shows the growing strength and influence of Umno in Johor.
“So I guess it’s back to square one. I think, after all, the real winner in this Mahkota by-election is basically neither DAP nor PH, but those in Umno that don’t want the cooperation to be extended (at the state level).
“Mahkota (by-election) result really shows that (Johor) Umno did not gain anything, and it did not have to imitate the federal level unity government,” he added. – September 28, 2024