SEREMBAN: Pakatan Harapan should ask itself why the coalition has failed to secure Malay support rather than blame other parties.
Former Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin said he had previously stated that the coalition had failed to manage Malay sensitivities well which had caused their displeasure with Pakatan.
"I had said that Malay sensitivities were not well managed by Pakatan, so they got angry and accused me of playing up racial issues.
"But I want to ask Pakatan to reflect and engage in a bit of self-examination as to why they are not popular among Malay voters," he told reporters when met during breakfast with the Barisan Nasional candidate for Lenggeng Datuk Mohd Asna Amin.
Khairy said that based on a study conducted on the performance of Pakatan candidates in the recent Johor election, it was found that they secured under 10 percent of votes from Malay voters.
"In Johor, I just received figures from a study that was conducted, showing that Pakatan candidates did not even get 10% of the Malay vote.
"So, Pakatan should ask itself before blaming others, and before claiming that I am playing up racial issues and so on," he said.
He said the coalition's failure to secure votes from the Malays had nothing to do with Barisan or Perikatan Nasional.
Separately, the former health minister said Barisan needs to work harder to ensure that the blue wave in Johor was also felt in Negri Sembilan.
This, he said, was because Barisan was considered the 'underdog' party in the Aug 1 polls since the state government was led by Pakatan.
"But Insya-Allah (God willing), with the cooperation between Barisan and Perikatan, our manifesto, alongside the people's disappointment with the Pakatan administration, whether at the federal level or in Negri Sembilan, I feel it can give us a slight advantage in this state election," he said.
On Barisan's decision to remain committed to the Unity Government until the end of the term, Khairy said it was a mature decision.
This, he said, was to ensure the country remains stable, especially when facing global crises that have yet to be resolved.
For the latest updates on Negri Sembilan state election,visit https://elections.thestar.com.my/
