Report: Automatic voter registration, Undi 18 may cause unity govt to lose Selangor in state election

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — Automatic voter registration and Undi18 might lead to Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) defeat in Selangor in the upcoming state elections political analyst Ibrahim Suffian of the Merdeka Centre told online news portal Free Malaysia Today.

“In GE15, it was clear that most voters based their choices on parties. However, some young and female Malay voters considered personalities and issues before casting their ballot,” he was quoted as saying.

Ibrahim said voters are more likely to choose a candidate that is more concerned with local community issues rather than party logos.

He said in the 2018 state election, PH’s component parties collectively obtained 58 per cent of votes from the estimated two million of Selangor voters while Barisan Nasional (BN) gained 21 per cent.

However, the Perikatan Nasional coalition parties, including Parti Pribumi Bersatu (Bersatu) obtained 20 per cent.

Ibrahim said the unity government coalition may upset supporters from both BN and PH as they may have difficulties accepting their respective parties joining forces with their rivals.

He added that Umno is facing one of the biggest challenges in the state elections after a questionable performance in the 15th general elections.

“Hence, vote transferability from BN supporters to PH candidates and vice versa may be challenging.

“Umno supporters may opt to stay out or even support PN candidates due to dissatisfaction with their own leaders,” he was reported saying.

The unity government, led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to play a significant role in the public’s perception in the upcoming state elections.

“Although a survey by Merdeka Center in February showed a 68 per cent approval rating for Anwar and that the country was generally moving in the right direction, this sentiment could change over the next couple of months.

“We are observing that young Malay voters are warming up to Anwar and PH.

“They could be wary of PN’s focus on race and religion and the lack of tangible suggestions on how to improve cost-of-living issues.

“However, this could be fleeting. So, PH has to work harder to show that its decision to partner Umno-BN is for the long term, even though it’s an open secret that some BN leaders are uncomfortable with the arrangement,” he was reported saying.