KUALA LUMPUR: Political analysts have described the 16th Negri Sembilan State Election landscape as highly unpredictable amid changing political dynamics, including the cooperation between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional in challenging Pakatan Harapan.
A senior lecturer at the Department of Malaysian Studies, Faculty of Human Sciences, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Dr Norhafiza Mohd Hed, said the current situation makes this election distinct from previous state polls.
She said seat allocations that have resulted in multi-cornered contests, coupled with voter demographics in mixed and Malay-majority constituencies, require more in-depth analysis.
"It is difficult to predict the outcome of this state election because the margins are very close. Looking at the distribution of seats, there are two-cornered, three-cornered and even five-cornered contests, making the situation more complex," she said during an interview with Bernama TV today.
Norhafiza said Pakatan's relatively low-key campaign approach could be a strategy to reduce political pressure, although issues raised during the campaign remain influential in shaping voter sentiment.
"When election issues are amplified on social media, they become topics of public discussion because we are living in the social media era. Everyone consumes media, especially Gen Z and other groups, and they tend to focus on the issues highlighted on these platforms," she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Muhamad Fuad Abdul Karim, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), said the cooperation between Barisan and Perikatan appears to be driven more by electoral strategy and political interests rather than ideological similarities.
He compared political alliances to market dynamics, where strategies are continuously adjusted according to voters' demands.
"That is why in politics, strategy often takes precedence over ideology. This explains why the political formula changes from one period to another," he said.
On leadership and candidate personalities in Negri Sembilan, Muhamad Fuad said voters in the state appear to place greater emphasis on party identity rather than individual candidates.
"I do not think the question of who will become Mentri Besar is a major issue in Negri Sembilan, as politics there is driven more by identity than performance.
"Therefore, I believe party identity is more significant than the individual who will hold the position of Mentri Besar. This differs from Johor, where politics is more closely associated with performance," he said.
He added that the effectiveness of any party's manifesto or proposals would depend on its ability to offer practical solutions to issues affecting the people, particularly in creating quality employment opportunities for youths.
A total of 889,490 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the state election, comprising 867,151 ordinary voters, 16,884 military personnel and their spouses, and 5,455 police personnel. - Bernama
