State polls: Non-Malay voters continue to stick with Pakatan in Selangor

NON-MALAY voters in Selangor made their choice clear during the Aug 12 polls.

National Professors Council senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir said this was evident through the big wins by Pakatan Harapan in areas with a predominantly non-Malay population.

DAP, which is part of Pakatan, was the major contributor, making a clean sweep of all the 15 seats it contested in Selangor.

Selangor DAP candidates in areas with a predominantly non-Malay population such as Kinrara, Subang Jaya, Kampung Tunku, Bandar Baru Klang, Balakong and Teratai had the biggest margin of victories ranging from 30,000 to 50,000.

Kinrara’s incumbent from DAP, Ng Sze Han, secured the biggest majority with a whopping 54,535 votes.

The seat also has the biggest number of voters at 123,782 in Selangor, with 50% of the population comprising Chinese.

Incumbent Michelle Ng from DAP won with a 51,191-vote majority in Subang Jaya, which has an almost 60% Chinese and Indian population.

Sentosa, which has a sizeable 73% non-Malay population, saw PKR’s Gunaraj George come away with a 46,349 majority over his Gerakan opponent from Perikatan Nasional.

Pakatan also did well in urban seats such as Bukit Lanjan as PKR’s Pua Pei Ling secured a 41,227-vote majority.

Pakatan’s Amanah candidates also won in semi-urban seats such as Pandan Indah and Taman Templer, thanks to the support of both Malay and non-Malay voters.

Jeniri said non-Malay votes enabled Pakatan to retain three out of six states, including Selangor.

“Despite the fact Pakatan lost some seats in Penang and Selangor, the coalition managed to hang onto these states with support from the non-Malays.

“The Selangor election results showed that moving forward, non-Malay voters would have no choice but to support Pakatan if they want a more moderate Malaysia,” he told StarMetro. Jeniri added that it would now be a big challenge for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to not only win the hearts and minds of the Malays but also address issues close to their hearts such as the high cost of living.

Pakatan-Barisan Nasional won 34 seats while Perikatan Nasional secured 22 seats in the state election.