WITH a large majority of Malays in the north and a strong Chinese heartland in the south, Perak is a fairly mixed state that will require the new state government to do a balancing act in looking after the interests of both.

It is something the opposition coalition seems to be aware of.

Yesterday, Perak Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) commissioner Ahmad Awang took a seemingly moderate stance, saying that the new government would prove to the BN that it was much better, fair and transparent, and would not neglect the people's interests.

At the same time, PAS man Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin was chosen to be Menteri Besar - a clear acknowledgement of Perak's mixed status as a northern Malay heartland.

This is despite the Democratic Action Party holding the biggest share of seats won. The Chinese-based party took 18 state seats, against six for PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat's seven.

Still, Perak is unlikely to see dramatic changes, given that it is a fairly industrialised state - a situation the opposition coalition would likely want to keep.

The state was also marked to benefit under the RM177 billion (S$78 billion) Northern Corridor Economic Region that the federal BN government had planned for Perlis, Kedah, Penang and the north of Perak.

But what Perak residents - especially the Chinese and Indian minority - will most likely be looking out for is how the PAS-led coalition will proceed on religious affairs and local laws.

PAS has for the past few years tried to broaden its appeal to non-Malays, but many in the Chinese community still hold deep suspicions about it.