All eyes on Malay seats

PETALING JAYA: While Penang is expected to remain with Pakatan Harapan, all eyes will be on whether Umno supporters have accepted their party’s cooperation with the DAP in the unity government.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s political science expert Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said this would be clearly seen in the results of Malay majority seats.

“Although winning Penang’s 15 Malay majority seats is not enough to take over its 40-seat state assembly, their outcomes will indicate how much support the unity government has from the community,” he said.

Umno, which leads the Barisan Nasional coalition, is allied with its former rivals, the Pakatan Harapan pact, of which DAP is a component member.

Umno and DAP used to be bitter enemies in every general election, but are now working together in the unity government.

The unity government parties will take on the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition in the upcoming state elections.

Sivamurugan said Penang is seen as a DAP stronghold with only 11 Malay majority seats on the mainland and four on the island.

Among the Malay majority seats are Penaga, Permatang Berangan, Sungai Dua, Penanti, Pinang Tunggal, Permatang Pasir, Bertam, Seberang Jaya, Telok Ayer Tawar, Sungai Acheh and Sungai Bakap, all of which are on the Penang mainland.

Sivamurugan also said that attention will be on the Malay majority seats in Selangor.

A total of 34 out of 56 state seats in Selangor are Malay majority seats and they could be a deciding factor in who controls the state.

“The results will depend on Pakatan and Umno putting up a united front against Perikatan during the election.

“Putting the right candidates and working well together are vital to avoid internal bickering that could cost them votes,” he said.

Almost 10 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the coming six state polls.Besides Selangor and Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are expected to hold state polls in early August.

Dr Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, said that it will be challenging for Umno to get its supporters to back unity government parties.

“Umno may find it difficult to persuade their Malay supporters to vote for the unity government, as it is seen as being weak under their present political cooperation (with DAP).

“This may also be due to Bersatu and PAS being a more attractive alternative for Malays,” he said.

Another political scientist, Dr Azmil Mohd Tayeb echoed these points, adding that competition will likely be stiff for Malay votes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

“While Perikatan will make serious inroads, especially in Selangor, I don’t see the unity government losing these two states,” said Azmil, a Universiti Sains Malaysia senior lecturer.

Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar of International Islamic University Malaysia said that the coming state elections will be a litmus test for Malay support for the unity government.

Tunku Mohar said that it is crucial for Pakatan and Umno to settle seat allocations between themselves before the polls.

“If there are grievances regarding seat allocations, it may cause their supporters to boycott them. This can benefit Perikatan,” he said.