SEREMBAN: With just 72 hours until the Negri Sembilan polls, both the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional pact and its rival Perikatan Nasional are claiming to have clinched the majority support of Malay voters.
Survey findings up until two days ago showed that more than half of the Malay voters were with the unity government, said state Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
“This is a good indication and we will continue to explain to all voters our plans for the state,” he told reporters yesterday, claiming that Malay support for Pakatan-Barisan in the state had been on an uptrend since April.
As such, he questioned claims by Perikatan that it was getting more support from the community, citing a latest survey which showed that most Malays preferred the Pakatan-Barisan pact.
Aminuddin also spoke against Perikatan’s election manifesto, saying, “What they are offering is merely a repetition. I think this has to be improvised.”
In announcing the manifesto on Saturday, state Perikatan chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said their focus was to help reduce the cost of living, empower women and youth, and improve the welfare of the people.
Aminuddin, who is also the state PKR chief, said the Pakatan and Barisan machinery had been working hard and would continue to do so till the last day of campaigning.
“We have been explaining the provisions in our joint manifesto so that voters will know that we are committed to looking after them and the state. Our confidence is based on what we can do for them in the next five years,” he said.
Pakatan-Barisan launched their manifesto on Sunday, stating their commitment to improve the state’s economy, investment and infrastructure, education and human capital, entrepreneurship, housing, agriculture, tourism, the environment, religion, culture and the well-being of the Orang Asli, the state civil service and Felda settlers.
Some 56.2% of the voters in the state are made up of Malays, who comprise the majority of voters in 23 of the 36 state seats.
Yesterday, state Perikatan secretary Nazree Yunus said that apart from Malay support, more non-Malays would be backing the Bersatu-PAS-Gerakan pact in the Aug 12 polls.
“As far as the Malay majority seats are concerned, Perikatan certainly has the edge for the Malay votes. Do not be surprised if we are able to win some of DAP’s 11 seats which are considered the party’s fixed deposit,” he said when contacted, adding that based on this, both Perikatan and Pakatan-Barisan stood an even chance of winning the state polls.
Apart from Perikatan’s own survey, he cited the large turnout at the ceramah of the party’s top leaders, such as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang. “Thousands attended our events in Jeram Padang, Gemas and Rantau,” Nazree said.
Apart from the cost of living, he said the Malays were also unhappy with the unity government due to the increase in the cost of performing the haj.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Senator Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar recently said this was inevitable because the costs involved were exposed to factors beyond the control of Tabung Haji.
This includes the inflation and taxation rates in Saudi Arabia and the high exchange rate of the US dollar and Saudi riyal against the ringgit which has caused the cost to go up by 8%.
Nazree said the people were also unhappy with the state’s budget for 2023 which had a deficit of RM100mil.
“We will be able to administer the state better and do more for the people compared to Pakatan and Barisan. Perikatan has proposed many initiatives under our manifesto and we will deliver them for the people’s benefit,” he said.
In the 2018 polls, Pakatan won 20 of the 36 seats in the legislative assembly. Barisan captured the remaining 16.
