GEORGETOWN, Penang - Pakatan Harapan (PH) stands the biggest chance of winning control of Malaysia’s Parliament but risks losing seats to rival alliance Perikatan Nasional (PN) if more people do not show up to vote on Saturday, said former federal finance minister Lim Guan Eng, who is contesting the Bagan parliamentary constituency in Penang.
“The anger towards Barisan Nasional (BN) is very real,” said Mr Lim.
The chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) was referring to widespread unhappiness over corruption and other issues within the Umno-led alliance. DAP is a member of the PH coalition.
“As a result, Malay voters are now drifting to PH and PN. But if the people want a stable government that can address their bread-and-butter issues, they need to do their part,” he added.
Mr Lim was commenting on what appears to be growing voter apathy in Penang, especially among those aged between 18 and 39.
With the polls one day away, many Malaysians who spoke to The Straits Times have said that they do not plan to vote, while others are still undecided or nonchalant about whom to vote for, citing confusion and a lack of information.
Some were unaware that the Penang State Legislative Assembly will not be dissolved until 2023, while others are unclear about which parties fall under PH.
One 34-year-old Penang resident, who asked not be named, said: “I don’t know who I will pick at the balloting centre. I’ll just copy who my family votes for because I am severely under-informed.”
DAP has ruled Penang since 2008. The state has a voter population of just over 1.2 million, with more than 500,000, or just over 40 per cent, aged between 18 and 39, according to official data. More than 68,000 who are between 18 and 20 years of age will vote for the first time in this election.
A total of 58 candidates, including six independents, will contest the state’s 13 parliamentary seats. In the 2018 election, BN picked up just two seats, with PH winning the rest. Of these, DAP won seven.
While analysts and observers are confident that PH will still win the majority of Penang’s parliamentary seats, the alliance could risk losing some of those seats to BN or PN if the younger people do not vote.
Dr Serina Rahman, a lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s South-east Asian Studies department, said: “For the very young and new voters, it could be due to a lack of voter education as well as not seeing any point to voting because at the end of the day, Penang is an opposition state and if the federal entity is BN or PN, they will struggle to get support for anything.”
Mr Lim, a former chief minister of Penang, said: “The relationship between state and federal governments is very difficult, so it is important to win at the federal level, both to normalise this relationship and ensure funds are allocated to states based on their needs and not on political partisanship.”
Ms Meredith Tan, 41, an executive, is not happy with the way Penang has been progressing under DAP.
“Just look at our airport. The toilets are filthy and nothing is done. Instead of getting better, the roads have become more congested. All the government can do is bring in more development, which is unnecessary, as it results in more congestion and waste,” she said.
Not everyone is as critical, though.
Referring to the imprisonment of former prime minister Najib Razak for corruption, a cafe owner, who wanted to be known only as Ms Yim, said: “PH has a made some difference in the short time it was in government. For instance, it managed to put Najib behind bars. We should give it another chance to do more.”
