YONG PENG: A higher voter turnout and bigger majority in Yong Peng show that voters value candidates with a proven service record over campaign rhetoric, says MCA's Ling Tian Soon.
The Barisan Nasional assemblyman, who retained the seat with a 4,603-vote majority on Saturday (July 11), said turnout rose to 67.38% from 57.5% in the 2022 state election, while his vote tally increased from 9,870 to 13,630.
Speaking to reporters during his post-election walkabout to thank voters on Sunday (July 12), Ling said the improved result reflected growing confidence in the work he and MCA had carried out in the constituency over the years.
"This is a strong endorsement for me and it shows that voters have seen the work and service we have put in over the years in Yong Peng.
"Especially in some rural polling districts, we saw very strong support, with some areas reaching up to 90%. I want to thank the rural voters for their support and recognition," he said.
Ling acknowledged there was still room for improvement in urban areas, attributing it partly to the opposition focusing much of its campaign in towns and the different messages voters were exposed to during the campaign.
"Whatever it is, I thank all Yong Peng voters for the message they have sent through the ballot box. We will study the results seriously and continue to improve our service," he said.
He said voters were no longer voting based only on sentiment, but were comparing political parties, their manifestos, candidates' service records and whether they had consistently served the people.
"We can see that voters still want candidates who provide local service and continue to work on the ground.
"Some candidates did not leave their constituencies even after losing previously. They continued to serve, and in the end, they received recognition from voters," he said.
Ling, also the deputy chairman of the Johor MCA liaison committee, said Barisan had made gains among Chinese and younger voters.
He said his increase of more than 4,000 votes could not have come from a single community alone.
"If my votes increased by more than 4,000, it could not have come from only one community. Chinese votes must have increased too, and the improvement was clear.
"So I believe Chinese support was better than in the previous election, and this is very encouraging for us," he said.
Ling said the coalition also received encouraging support from younger voters, particularly in the later polling streams.
"This shows that our focus on the youth agenda in Johor, as well as our efforts to engage and empower young people in the constituency, have produced results.
"Young people are not what we may have assumed in the past. They obtain information from different platforms, assess the candidates and parties, and then make their own decision," he said.
Barisan retained the Yong Peng seat after Ling defeated Pakatan Harapan's Yong Hui Yi by a 4,603-vote majority.
Returning officer Norman Noh announced the official result at about 9.15pm on Saturday, declaring Ling the winner with 13,630 votes against Yong's 9,027. A total of 22,657 votes were cast, with voter turnout recorded at 67.38%.
