KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The voters who turn out to cast their ballots in the Melaka election next month and in Sarawak, which is expected soon, may be less than 30 per cent, according to DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang.

The veteran MP said such a low turnout would be a major concern for the future, as the two state elections are seen as a bellwether for the next national election.

"I worry the voter turnout in Melaka and Sarawak state general election may be as low as less than 30 per cent, as Melaka and Sarawak general elections will be important forerunners of the 15th General Election,” he said in a statement today.

He said his fears were grounded on public anxiety over the high Covid-19 caseload, which still number in the thousands daily.

He also claimed the government’s poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the frequent changes of government at both the federal and state levels, and the billions in financial aid to be accorded to the country’s Bumiputera community compared to millions for non-Bumiputera groups as possible reasons for a lower voter count.

"There is a sense of apathy, hopelessness, despair and desolation in the land that not much change had taken place in the 22 months Pakatan Harapan (PH) government forgetting that the Pakatan Harapan government was meant to last for five years until it was undemocratically toppled by the Sheraton Move conspiracy,” he said.

Lim also accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Keluarga Malaysia of being insincere in redressing the racial income disparity,

He pointed out that there is a large disparity in the government’s Budget 2022 allocations for the ethnic Chinese and Indian communities compared to Malays and Muslims who fall under the Bumiputera category.

To Lim, this disparity allegedly showed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s insincerity in his "Keluarga Malaysia” concept to unify Malaysia’s diverse races.

Ismail Sabri has been touting "Keluarga Malaysia” as being inclusive of all races when tabling the country’s highest ever national budget at RM332.1 billion last month.

The Chinese were given RM200 million while the Indians RM145 million. The bumiputras were alloted RM11.4 billion.

Lim said if Malaysia was to survive economically, race and religion must be put aside.

"We must recognise that if Malaysia is to survive the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic, all Malaysians must unite as Malaysians and be prepared to put aside their racial, religious, regional and political differences.

"For if Malaysia fails, no race, religion, region or political party can benefit from it,” said the MP for Iskandar Puteri.

Earlier today, Ismail Sabri rebranded the National Family Month to Keluarga Malaysia month adding that from now onwards November will be known nationwide as Keluarga Malaysia month.