DAP’S CANDIDATE FOR KKB POLLS A HIGH-RISK GAMBLE, SAYS ANALYST

PETALING JAYA: DAP’s decision to retain a Chinese candidate for the May 11 Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election has been described as a high-risk move by a political analyst.

Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi said the move to field Pang Sock Tao despite speculation about putting forward a Malay candidate could be aimed at maintaining DAP’s core support – the non-Malay voters who backed the late Lee Kee Hiong during last August’s state polls.

“I’d say that DAP believes the Chinese vote is still strongly for Pakatan Harapan (PH) with the electorate making up 30% of voters there.

“But it’s considered a highly risky move considering that 46% of the voters are Malays, followed by the Chinese and then the Indians at 18%.

“If they win (the by-election), it would be an achievement for the unity government,” Awang told FMT, adding that it would reflect PH’s success in winning a good chunk of the Malay vote.

Awang said Perikatan Nasional (PN) would provide strong competition in the race for the seat if it fielded a Malay candidate who was popular among the locals.

“However, if it fields a Malay candidate who’s obscure, PN’s chances will be slimmer, all the more since the Selangor and federal governments are governed by the unity coalition.”

DAP announced last night that Pang, the press secretary to housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming, would contest the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election for PH.

PN meanwhile will announce its candidate tonight.

Zaharul Abdullah of Universiti Sains Malaysia said DAP would be rejected by Malay voters at the polls, although not just because of Pang’s links to Nga, who has stirred controversy due to his proposal to make New Villages a Unecso heritage site.

He said there had been a trend of Malay voters rejecting PH from the 15th general election to the six state elections last year.

“It’s not about the ‘Nga factor’ alone, but also the Malay voters’ overall rejection of DAP and their disappointment with the PH-Barisan Nasional tie-up,” he said.

However, he said PN could not depend solely on Malay votes to wrest the seat, which has been in DAP’s hands since 2013.

2024-04-25T04:55:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd