SHAH ALAM, June 24 — The state elections will see intense campaigning for 34 state constituencies with a majority of Malay voters, according to political analysts.
With seats in urban areas expected to be dominated by Pakatan Harapan, analysts say Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN), and Harapan are all aware that winning all 34 seats, representing more than 60 per cent of Malay voters, will enable the formation of the next state government.
Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Institution of Malay Rulers Chair fellow Mujibu Abd Muis said traditionally, the Malay-majority seats, located mostly in the north of Selangor, see clashes between BN and PN, but with the current political scenario the competition for votes in the area will definitely be interesting.
With 22 other seats in areas having mixed seats and a high number non-Malay voters who are believed to remain loyal to Harapan, these 34 seats will be the main battleground.
Mujibu believes the cooperation between Harapan as the state government and BN would be advantageous to any candidate from the two coalitions, in view of the support from the grassroots to face candidates from PN consisting of PAS, Bersatu and Gerakan.
“If the cooperation between Harapan – BN translates well at the state level, I am sure it will be a big advantage for their candidates to compete against PN for the 34 seats
“The current political dynamics in the Harapan – BN collaboration can be seen to be a factor in changing the pattern of support that PN received in the 15th general election (GE15),” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, Universiti Selangor (Unisel) deputy vice-chancellor Assoc Prof Hamdan Mohd Salleh believes PN’s success in dominating the parliamentary seats in the northern region of Selangor, which had a majority of Malay voters in GE15, will make the clash during the state elections this time around more interesting and challenging.
He said the state seats with a majority of Malay voters include Sungai Air Tawar, Sabak, Sungai Panjang, Hulu Bernam, Batang Kali, Sungai Besar, Permatang, Jeram, and Kuang, were being eyed by all contesting parties to balance the high non-Malay voter turnout in 22 seats in the urban areas.
“Taking into account the success of PN in the Sabak Bernam, Sungai Besar, Tanjung Karang and Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituencies in GE15, we can expect an interesting clash in the northern region of Selangor.
“However, now that Harapan and BN are in one team, I am confident that the voting trend at the parliamentary level in GE15 will not be an absolute guarantee that the voters in rural communities in this state election will remain in favour of PN,” Hamdan said.
Selangor has 56 state assembly seats, with 29 required for a simple majority to form the government.
During GE14, Harapan dominated Selangor when it won 51 out of 56 state assembly seats, followed by BN with four and PAS with one.
However, the composition of the state assembly before the dissolution sees Harapan holding 40 seats (PKR with19, DAP with 15, and Amanah with six), BN (five), Bersatu (four), Parti Bangsa Malaysia (two), while PAS, Pejuang, and Warisan have one each, along with one Independent representative.
Another seat in Batang Kali, however, was declared vacant after its elected state assemblyman Harumaini Omar failed to attend the State Legislative Assembly sitting for over six months.
The 14th Selangor State Assembly was officially dissolved yesterday (June 23), paving the way for state polls.
Selangor is one of the six states to hold its state elections this year. The other states are Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan and Penang.
In GE15, Harapan won 16 parliamentary constituencies in Selangor namely Kota Raja, Pandan, Sepang, Kuala Selangor, Selayang, Gombak, Ampang, Hulu Langat, Bangi, Puchong, Subang, Petaling Jaya, Damansara, Sungai Buloh, Shah Alam, and Klang
Meanwhile, PN won six parliamentary seats, namely Sabak Bernam, Sungai Besar, Hulu Selangor, Tanjong Karang, Kapar, and Kuala Langat.
— Bernama
