PH losses among Johor Chinese voters mainly due to low turnout, says Ong
Political analyst Ong Kian Ming attributes the decline in Pakatan Harapan's (PH) support among Chinese voters in the Johor polls primarily to low voter turnout rather than a shift in political allegiance. He notes that while Malay voter patterns shifted significantly toward Barisan Nasional, the Chinese voter decline was largely due to apathy.
Why it matters
Understanding the mechanics of voter turnout versus party switching is critical for political parties in Malaysia to refine their campaign strategies and voter mobilization efforts.
Former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming said election outcomes are determined not only by which party voters prefer, but also by whether those voters turn out.
PETALING JAYA: The drop in Chinese votes for Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the Johor polls earlier this month was driven mainly by lower turnout rather than a swing to Barisan Nasional (BN), DAP’s Ong Kian Ming says.
In a statement, the former Bangi MP said an estimated 75.5% of Malay voters cast their ballots in the state election on July 11, compared to 61% of Chinese voters.
According to Ong, BN received an estimated 84.9% of Malay ballots while PH received an estimated 85.6% of Chinese ballots.
However, because Chinese turnout was substantially lower, PH received the support of only 52.2% of the entire eligible Chinese electorate, compared with the 64.1% of the eligible Malay electorate which supported BN, he said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in