PN still has a chance to woo voters in state elections, say analysts

SHAH ALAM - The Perikatan Nasional (PN) still has the opportunity to woo voters in the months leading up to the state election this year.

Universiti Malaya's political analyst Dr Abdul Muqit Muhammad said eventhough Pas still has a long way in gaining the non-Malay trusts but it is seen to be friendly towards them.

"States under Pakatan Harapan (PH) like Selangor will remain with the coalition while Pas is likely to retain states won by them previously," he said.

Of the six states that are yet to hold state elections, three of which are PH-led Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan while Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are led by Pas.

Muqit further said if PN changes their approach towards non-Malay voters, the effect is likely to be felt at the coming general election.

"We have to remember that the non-Malay votes for PH especially the Chinese are interchangeable. This is because the attitude of these voters depend on economic issues and cost of living.

"So if the current government fails to address the issues, these voters will likely switch their votes.

"PN does not need a lot of non-Malay votes. To me, the alliance only needs around 20 or 30 per cent, which is enough to get a simple majority in Parliament," he added.

Universiti Sains Malaysia's political sociology lecturer Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said PN should focus on first-time or on-the-fence non-Malay voters who are quite significant in numbers to influence the election results.

He said the possibility is supported by Malaysian's voting patterns where people is now more open and do not have the tendency to be loyal to any political party.

He said just in a few months the voting pattern in Melaka and Johor were significantly different than the 15th general elections.

"Voters are becoming dynamic. They do not have ties or loyalty to a particular political party. It can change overnight," he told Sinar.

However, Sivamurugan said PN consisting of Bersatu, Pas and Gerakan need to immediately give a clearer message to non-Malay voters to build the support and trust.

It further involves efforts to balance the Malay-Islamic agenda.