Support from minority voters no longer a sure thing for Anwar

Low turnout at recent by-election shows 'growing disappointment' with PH: Analyst

- Shannon Teoh

More than half of non-Malay voters eligible to cast their ballots in the Sungai Bakap by-election on July 6 failed to turn up that day, ringing alarm bells for Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his 19-month-old government as these minorities form the core of their support base.

Making matters worse, his Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led administration has struggled to stem ebbing support from the Malay-Muslim majority, as evidenced by the loss to its Islamist rival by a wider margin, compared with the state election in 2023.

This saw the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition more than triple its margin of victory in the Penang state seat that was a PH stronghold for 15 years. Polling 14,489 to PH's 10,222 votes pushed PN's majority to 17 per cent from 5 per cent just 11 months ago at the August 2023 polls that elected six state governments.

PN's latest victory in the Penang ward shows a significant loss of support for PH from its longstanding non-Malay voter base, which makes up a sizeable portion of the electorate. Sungai Bakap's voters are 59.4 per cent Malay, 22.5 per cent Chinese and 17.4 per cent Indian.

A similar "protest vote" by minorities, especially ethnic Chinese who form the backbone of PH's support, would crush the ruling alliance if replicated at national polls due by early 2028.

Even traditional PH stronghold Selangor, which Datuk Seri Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat has governed for 16 years, could fall as PN can flip up to eight seats for a total of 30 in the 56-strong state assembly, by increasing its vote share by just 4 per cent.