SHAH ALAM – Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, both as party president and a Johor native, is likely to face most of the blame for the party’s failure to deliver in the Mahkota by-election.
Political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun said that a PN leadership reshuffle was long overdue and suggested that Pas, as the party with the most seats in the coalition, should finally take charge.
"Such a new lineup could solidify and potentially expand the Green Wave, but it would also heighten the fears of non-Malays and some moderate Malays,” he said when contacted today.
Oh said that PN once again failed to make significant inroads into traditional Umno strongholds in Johor, especially in a mixed seat like Mahkota.
"The large losing margin indicates PN lost support from both Malay and non-Malay voters," he added.
He said these after Barisan Nasional's (BN) landslide victory in Mahkota, where the coalition secured a fourfold majority vote compared to the previous state election, leaving PN trailing significantly.
When asked about the significance of the increased voter turnout for BN, despite a lower overall turnout, Oh confirmed that this was a crushing defeat for PN, similar to its previous loss in Nenggiri by-election.
He emphasised that relying on turnout as a winning metric might need to be reconsidered.
To capture Malay voters, Oh suggested that PN should focus more on livelihood issues and socioeconomic challenges, presenting solutions that stand out compared to those offered by Pakatan Harapan (PH) and BN.
As for non-Malay voters, he believed that only a return to the moderate policies of Pas under the late Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat could bring their support back.
Oh further highlighted that the voting patterns in Mahkota’s electoral history suggested that when Malay voters shift away from Umno, they tend to gravitate towards progressive parties like PH rather than conservative ones like PN.
"Non-Malay votes are already a lost cause for PN, and although Pas made efforts to bolster PN’s chances, it was simply not enough," he said.
Oh also hinted that PN might have suspected its unpopularity among younger voters in Mahkota, leading them to shift their focus towards older voters instead.
In a landslide victory, BN’s Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah won the Mahkota state seat today by a commanding majority of 20,648 votes.
He secured 27,941 votes, outpacing his rival from PN Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, who garnered 7,347 votes.
This outcome reflected BN's firm grip on the Johor seat, with the party's majority surging from the 5,166 votes achieved in the 2022 State Election.
The voter turnout for the by-election was 53.84 per cent, slightly lower than the 57.34 per cent turnout recorded during the 2022 Johor State Assembly Election.
Despite the lower turnout, BN's performance far exceeded expectations.
Results from the BN camp indicated that their landslide victory included sweeping all 18 polling districts in Mahkota, along with early and postal votes.
In the previous General Election, PN had won three polling districts: Kampung Melayu I, Kampung Melayu II and Sri Tengah in the Kluang parliament seat, along with early votes; however, BN comfortably captured those districts this time.
BN also managed to reverse PN's gains in Kampung Baru, a district that the Opposition coalition aimed to flip.