Free Malaysia Today
April 15, 2013

JOHOR BARU: For DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang to win the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat in Barisan Nasional’s fortress in Johor, he not only needs to win the “hearts and minds” of the Chinese electorate, who are the majority voters in the suburban seat, he must also work hard to woo votes from the Malay electorate.

A substantial 54% of the eligible voters in Gelang Patah are Chinese while the Malays account for 33% and Indians make up 12%.

Judging from the electoral composition, it is clear that to win the rapidly-developing Gelang Patah seat, the candidate, either from BN or DAP, must romp home with the support of the Chinese and Malays, the bulk of the electorate in the constituency, adjacent to Pulai and Johor Baru parliamentary seats.

But with the irremovable stigma that Kit Siang and DAP are “anti-Malays” and “anti-Islam, it is a big question mark whether the Malay voters in the constituency will accept or welcome the veteran DAP politician.

No doubt Kit Siang and the DAP election machinery in the area are already facing an uphill task. In fact, some party campaigners were heard lamenting that it was indeed an arduous mission to win over the Malay voters in the once Malay-heartland area.

The difficult task to woo Malay voters was readily acknowledged by DAP election workers with the “anti-Malay” and “anti-Islam” stigma deeply etched in Kit Siang and DAP, a predominantly Chinese-based urban party.

“Surely, the stigma will be a big hurdle for my party campaigners when talking to Malay voters in the area.

“The stigma is purportedly created and highlighted that the DAP and I are ‘anti-Malay’ and ‘anti-Islam’,” laments Kit Siang.

The DAP adviser says the “anti-Malay” and anti-Islam” stigma was a mere slander and a big lie, adding that the DAP’s and his political struggle was for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion.

‘I want to win’

Although the acceptance of Kit Siang by the Malay voters was difficult to gauge since the March 18 announcement that he was the Pakatan Rakyat’s candidate for Gelang Patah, Kit Siang and DAP firmly believe that they will be well-accepted by the electorate to break BN’s stronghold in Johor.

Johor has been BN’s bastion for many years.

“I don’t know about the Malays’ acceptance of me but I want to win in Gelang Patah with the support of all races,” said Kit Siang, who has moved from Ipoh Timur in Perak to try his luck in Gelang Patah.

Although Kit Siang and his well-oiled election machinery are working round-the-clock to win over Malay voters, the machinery by far and large is focusing attention on densely-populated Chinese areas like in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah in Skudai, where the DAP’s Gelang Patah parliamentary election operations headquarters is based.

A local political observer said the DAP’s strategy was to secure at least 80% Chinese votes, 5% Malay and 5% Indian votes in Gelang Patah.

To Gelang Patah Umno division chief Abdul Aziz Sapian, Kit Siang and DAP are sure to fail miserably in garnering Malay votes in their untiring efforts to win over Malays’ support in the constituency.

In fact, Kit Siang’s surprise move to contest in Gelang Patah would only work in favour of the BN with more Malays rallying behind the ruling coalition to retain the stronghold seat, he said.

“We expect Malays’ support for BN in Gelang Patah to swell by more than 90%. We’re confident that Malay voters will reject Kit Siang and DAP, widely regarded as a Chinese chauvinist party,” he added.

Political ally

Kit Siang and DAP vehemently questioning “everything about the Malays”, including Malays’ special rights and privileges bears testimony to the “true colours” of Kit Siang and DAP’s real perception of the Malays.

“It only reinforces the stigma that the DAP is ‘anti-Malay’ and ‘anti-Islam’,” Abdul Aziz said.

With 90% Malay votes, 60% Indian votes and at least 30% Chinese votes in hand, the BN confident of retaining Gelang Patah, the BN’s bastion for many years, he said.

He said Kit Siang was fully relying on his political ally, PAS, to help him approach Malay voters in Gelang Patah.

“The DAP has entirely left it to PAS to woo Malay voters in Gelang Patah. We believe only hardcore PAS supporters will support Kit Siang,” he added.

In the last general election in 2008, BN’s Tan Ah Heng from MCA retained the seat, defeating PKR’s Zaliha Mustafa by a comfortable 8,000-vote majority.

-Bernama