JELEBU: Pakatan Harapan had expected an uphill battle in Saturday's Johor state election, which saw Barisan Nasional win 48 of the 56 seats, says Anthony Loke.
The DAP secretary-general attributed the outcome of the polls to Barisan's formidable positioning, noting that the coalition had built strong momentum and secured solid public support in the run-up to the polls.
He added that Barisan's strong showing was also driven by Perikatan Nasional supporters shifting their votes to the coalition.
"We respect the people's decision and thank voters who had supported us.
"We tried our best but Barisan had built a strong momentum leading to them doing well," he said after launching the Land Public Transport Agency's (Apad) Kg Angkat Madani programme at Kg Chennah here.
He acknowledged the fact that the majority of Malay voters had backed Barisan.
"It is clear that many Malays who voted Perikatan previously, voted for Barisan this time around," he said.
Perikatan failed to win any seat in the polls.
PAS contested 11 seats while Bersatu fielded candidates in 16.
Loke said support for Pakatan including DAP, which won six seats, remained strong.
"The DAP's support pattern for example remains consistent.
"Also in the previous state election, DAP managed to bag 10 seats as there were three-way fights," he added.
Loke said DAP still enjoyed support particularly in urban areas where it received at least 80% support from Chinese voters.
He said although the election result was disappointing, Pakatan would not dwell on it too much.
"Everyday is a new day. We will now shift our focus to Negri Sembilan which will go to the polls on Aug 1," he said.
When asked if the Johor election outcome would impact Negri Sembilan, Loke dismissed the comparison, stating that the political dynamics of the two states are entirely different.
"Although Barisan will hope to continue with the momentum, we must remember that in Negri, Pakatan led the former state government with 17 seats in the assembly.
"I am not suggesting there will be no impact but having been the incumbent state government, we have our strengths to be able to defend our seats but we must work harder to secure at least three more to form the state government.
"The dynamics will change and so will the circumstances," he said, adding that it must be noted that no single coalition held a majority in the state for now.
Earlier, Loke said Apad will carry out five projects to upgrade infrastructure and other facilities in Kg Chennah.
The projects costing a total of RM500,000 will involve upgrading facilities at the mosque, library and futsal court as well as improvising the drainage system in the area.
