SHAH ALAM, Aug 11 — The existing status quo for the states of Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu will remain in place, according to the latest study by the Merdeka Centre.
The independent polling and research body said its findings were based on surveys carried out in various stages from July 3 until today among 6,179 respondents, comprising a representative sample of Malaysian voters aged 18 and above voting in the six states.
“We found the two main coalitions of Pakatan Harapan/Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), particularly in parts of Penang and Selangor as well as the mixed ethnic areas of Kedah, still needed to swing undecided voters to their side as well as persuade their core voters to turn up to vote,” it said in a statement today.
Merdeka Centre said younger Malay voters in these surveys also continued to display a strong preference for PN, as was the case during the 15th General Election in November last year.
“Meanwhile, non-Malay voters remain firmly in support of Harapan, but questions remain as to their turnout rate.
“Simultaneously, questions about out-of-town Malay voters to Kedah, Kelantan, and
Terengganu may become academic as PN enjoys significant majority support, which reduces their dependence on out-of-state voters to make the trek home to vote,” it said.
As such, based on these findings, Merdeka Centre said Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan will remain in Harapan and BN’s hands, while Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu will continue to be held by PN.
“PN will make further inroads in Malay constituencies of Kedah and BN incumbent
seats in Kelantan and Terengganu. It may make small gains in a handful of seats in Negeri Sembilan, but will not threaten the position of the Harapan/BN state government.
“Seats with between 70 and 90 per cent Malay representation in Selangor and Penang are heavily contested, and are currently considered ‘too-close-to-call’. Yet both state governments will remain firmly with Harapan/BN,” it said.
