Analysts say Bersama can siphon off Chinese votes from PH
4 hours ago
Dineskumar Ragu
Voters fed up with Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional are seen as likely to back Rafizi Ramli's party
Bersama, the party co-founded by Rafizi Ramli, is contesting 15 state assembly seats in the Johor election. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Parti Bersama Malaysia could siphon Chinese votes away from Pakatan Harapan at the Johor election this Saturday, although it remains unknown how much damage Rafizi Ramli’s party can inflict, political analysts say.
Chin Yee Mun.
Bersama is contesting 15 seats, with Chinese voters comprising between 24.5% and 61.1% of the electorate in these constituencies.
Chin Yee Mun of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman says Chinese voters have traditionally backed PH and Bersama is portraying itself as an alternative by speaking up on issues pertinent to the community.
“Bersama may attract support from Chinese voters who have given up on both PH and BN,” Chin told FMT. However, some voters might be a little hesitant to cast their ballot for Bersama, given that it is still a relatively new party and is not part of any coalition.
Bersama’s candidates are also not well-known nor do they have a track record. “For more pragmatic voters, these factors will cause them to think twice (about voting for the party),” he said.
Chin was commenting on a call by PH candidate for Pemanis, Jalex Lee, for the Chinese community to reject Bersama candidates in the Johor election, as it would risk splitting PH’s votes.
Lee said Bersama appeared focused on winning over the Chinese electorate by highlighting issues affecting the community.
Bersama is contesting 15 seats, with Chinese voters comprising between 24.5% and 61.1% of the electorate in these constituencies.
Chin Yee Mun of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman says Chinese voters have traditionally backed PH and Bersama is portraying itself as an alternative by speaking up on issues pertinent to the community.
“Bersama may attract support from Chinese voters who have given up on both PH and BN,” Chin told FMT. However, some voters might be a little hesitant to cast their ballot for Bersama, given that it is still a relatively new party and is not part of any coalition.
Bersama’s candidates are also not well-known nor do they have a track record. “For more pragmatic voters, these factors will cause them to think twice (about voting for the party),” he said.
Chin was commenting on a call by PH candidate for Pemanis, Jalex Lee, for the Chinese community to reject Bersama candidates in the Johor election, as it would risk splitting PH’s votes.
Lee said Bersama appeared focused on winning over the Chinese electorate by highlighting issues affecting the community.
Lau Zhe Wei.
Lau Zhe Wei of the International Islamic University of Malaysia said the shared ideology between Bersama and PH would certainly help the former gain votes from PH’s voter base in Johor.
Bersama could be a threat to PH, especially in marginal seats, he said, although PH could “ignore” Bersama in constituencies where the coalition won with a huge majority. Lau said Bersama was not as influential as PH just yet.
PH and Barisan Nasional are contesting all 56 state assembly seats in the Johor polls. Bersama is contesting 15 seats.
Voting takes place on Saturday (July 11) with early voting on Tuesday (July 7).
Lau Zhe Wei of the International Islamic University of Malaysia said the shared ideology between Bersama and PH would certainly help the former gain votes from PH’s voter base in Johor.
Bersama could be a threat to PH, especially in marginal seats, he said, although PH could “ignore” Bersama in constituencies where the coalition won with a huge majority. Lau said Bersama was not as influential as PH just yet.
PH and Barisan Nasional are contesting all 56 state assembly seats in the Johor polls. Bersama is contesting 15 seats.
Voting takes place on Saturday (July 11) with early voting on Tuesday (July 7).
No comments:
Post a Comment