FMT:
PN unlikely to take Teluk Intan without heavyweight to match Nga, say analysts
2 hours ago
Nora Mahpar
They question PAS’s optimism, citing DAP’s strong Chinese support and PN’s fading momentum in Perak
Ahmad Fadhli Shaari of PAS said PN can take the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat currently held by DAP’s Nga Kor Ming.
PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) will struggle to win the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat unless it nominates a candidate as strong as the incumbent, Nga Kor Ming of DAP, political analysts say.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali said Nga, the housing and local government minister, not only commanded strong support among DAP loyalists but was widely respected within the Chinese community.
“To take Teluk Intan, PN needs to put forward a candidate of equal calibre to Nga, if such a figure exists in Gerakan,” he told FMT.
“But in today’s political climate, it’s a real challenge for Gerakan to compete with DAP, which enjoys solid backing from Chinese voters.”
Mazlan was commenting on remarks by PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who said during a Teluk Intan PAS meeting that PN could capture the seat due to growing dissatisfaction and the perceived weakness of the unity government.
DAP currently holds the seat but suffered a rare setback in 2014 when Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong, contesting under Barisan Nasional (BN), won a by-election by just 238 votes against DAP’s Dyana Sofya.
Nga reclaimed the seat in the 14th general election, defeating Mah with a majority of over 11,000 votes. He retained it in 2022, beating Bersatu’s Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin in a four-cornered fight.
Mazlan dismissed PAS’s hope of victory as “a Mat Jenin dream” or an unrealistic fantasy, given the constituency’s mixed demographic make-up of 50% Malay, 33% Chinese, and 17% Indian.
He said it would be next to impossible for PN to take a mixed seat like Teluk Intan, especially given the strong cooperation between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and BN.
“If PAS wants to win here, it needs non-Malay votes, particularly Chinese votes, which overwhelmingly go to DAP,” he said.
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“PN can only win big if the seat has at least 70% Malay voters, like in the east coast or the northern regions.”
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said PAS’s optimism might stem from the belief that traditional Umno voters would refuse to back a DAP candidate if PH and BN field a joint candidate.
“PAS likely sees an opportunity in a potential Malay voter backlash against DAP, which is why it’s eyeing Teluk Intan,” he said.
But Azmi, too, questioned PN’s influence in Perak, saying it had weakened as the unity coalition grew increasingly cohesive.
“PN isn’t strong enough to take Teluk Intan or Perak, for that matter,” he said.
“The bigger question is: will its candidate come from PAS or Bersatu? Because Gerakan simply doesn’t have anyone who can appeal to non-Malay voters.”
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali said Nga, the housing and local government minister, not only commanded strong support among DAP loyalists but was widely respected within the Chinese community.
“To take Teluk Intan, PN needs to put forward a candidate of equal calibre to Nga, if such a figure exists in Gerakan,” he told FMT.
“But in today’s political climate, it’s a real challenge for Gerakan to compete with DAP, which enjoys solid backing from Chinese voters.”
Mazlan was commenting on remarks by PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who said during a Teluk Intan PAS meeting that PN could capture the seat due to growing dissatisfaction and the perceived weakness of the unity government.
DAP currently holds the seat but suffered a rare setback in 2014 when Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong, contesting under Barisan Nasional (BN), won a by-election by just 238 votes against DAP’s Dyana Sofya.
Nga reclaimed the seat in the 14th general election, defeating Mah with a majority of over 11,000 votes. He retained it in 2022, beating Bersatu’s Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin in a four-cornered fight.
Mazlan dismissed PAS’s hope of victory as “a Mat Jenin dream” or an unrealistic fantasy, given the constituency’s mixed demographic make-up of 50% Malay, 33% Chinese, and 17% Indian.
He said it would be next to impossible for PN to take a mixed seat like Teluk Intan, especially given the strong cooperation between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and BN.
“If PAS wants to win here, it needs non-Malay votes, particularly Chinese votes, which overwhelmingly go to DAP,” he said.
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“PN can only win big if the seat has at least 70% Malay voters, like in the east coast or the northern regions.”
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said PAS’s optimism might stem from the belief that traditional Umno voters would refuse to back a DAP candidate if PH and BN field a joint candidate.
“PAS likely sees an opportunity in a potential Malay voter backlash against DAP, which is why it’s eyeing Teluk Intan,” he said.
But Azmi, too, questioned PN’s influence in Perak, saying it had weakened as the unity coalition grew increasingly cohesive.
“PN isn’t strong enough to take Teluk Intan or Perak, for that matter,” he said.
“The bigger question is: will its candidate come from PAS or Bersatu? Because Gerakan simply doesn’t have anyone who can appeal to non-Malay voters.”
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