Chinese voter turnout surges to nearly 50pc in Mahkota polls, says DAP’s Chin Tong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — The turnout of Chinese voters in the recent Mahkota by-election reached nearly 50 per cent, according to Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong, challenging earlier reports that suggested a lower figure of 30 per cent.

Citing data from think tank Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE), Liew said the voter turnout rate for the Chinese community was 49 per cent, while the turnout for Indians was 48 per cent and Malays 61 per cent, according to a report published today in Free Malaysia Today.

These figures were gathered from all polling stations involved in the by-election held on Saturday.

The Iskandar Puteri MP highlighted that Pakatan Harapan (PH) core supporters, regardless of ethnicity, rallied behind Barisan Nasional (BN) during the by-election.

“Almost all Pakatan Harapan core supporters gave their full support to Barisan Nasional in this by-election,” he said in a statement.

FMT had previously quoted a party source estimating lower voter turnout, reporting only 32 per cent for Chinese voters and 34 per cent for Indian voters, with the highest turnout being 63 per cent among Malays.

Liew, who is also the deputy investment, trade, and industry minister, pointed out that the IDE data mirrors voter turnout rates from the Johor state elections in March 2022.

Chinese voters make up 34 per cent of the 66,318 registered electorate in Mahkota.

Liew noted that with 81 per cent of its voters being Chinese, the Bandar Tengah polling station was the most reflective of the community’s overall voter turnout.

He also revealed that BN candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah secured 90 per cent of the votes across Bandar Tengah’s six voting streams.

In contrast, Kampong Melayu I polling station, with 95.74 per cent Malay voters, recorded a 61 per cent turnout across its five streams.

Acknowledging the challenges faced during the campaign, Liew said Pakatan Harapan’s ground team, led by Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi, worked hard to canvass for votes despite difficulties.

These included tensions between Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh and DAP’s Teresa Kok, which had caused some friction.

Despite these obstacles, Liew said PH was determined to reach around 50 per cent Chinese voter turnout but acknowledged that exceeding 55 per cent would have been unlikely.