A political analyst predicts that Pakatan Harapan will emerge as the winner in the Simpang Jeram state seat with a narrow majority, according to a recent survey. Associate Professor Dr Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) reveals that based on a survey involving 600 respondents, 50.83% of them stated their intention to vote for Pakatan candidate Nazri Abdul Rahma, while 27% favored Perikatan Nasional candidate Dr Mazri Yahya. Independent candidate S. Jeganathan attracted 8% of the respondents’ support, while 8.17% expressed the intention to boycott all candidates.
The political analyst further explains that the influence of the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub’s legacy, particularly his Rahmah initiative, will play a role in determining the voters’ decision. The popularity and legacy of Salahuddin are expected to benefit the Pakatan candidate, as 79% of the respondents hold the former in high regard.
The survey also reveals that over half of the voters expressed support for the collaboration between Pakatan and Barisan Nasional. However, about 26.67% of respondents were not in favor of this cooperation. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s acceptance rate stood at 55.67%, according to the survey findings.
It is important to note that the survey was limited to residents of Simpang Jeram, and outstation voters did not participate. Additionally, although independent candidate Jeganathan is trailing behind the other candidates, it is possible for him to secure between 1,500 to 1,800 votes due to his popularity in certain areas and among the Indian community.
The Simpang Jeram constituency has a total of 40,488 registered voters. Malays make up the largest ethnic group with 21,005 voters (51.87%), followed by Chinese with 18,052 voters (44.58%), Indians with 1,027 voters (2.53%), and other communities with 404 voters (0.99%).
Credit: The Star : News Feed
