PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari says Perikatan Nasional (PN) could capture the Ayer Keroh seat in the Melaka state election if non-Malay voters do not turn out in significant numbers.
Speaking as a co-host on the Keluar Sekejap podcast, Fadhli said Barisan Nasional (BN) could win 21 seats while PN could secure three, based on an assumption that 70% of votes would be transferred between the two coalitions in the Nov 14 polls.
He said Pakatan Harapan (PH) could lose Ayer Keroh, which DAP has held since 2008, if the vote transfer rate between the electoral allies reached 80% or 90%.
PH incumbent assemblyman Kerk Chee Yee is facing a four-cornered contest in Ayer Keroh against PN’s Michael Gan, Bersatu’s Hamnaim Mohamad and Bersama’s Muhaimin Lau Abdullah.
Ayer Keroh could become another Chennah
Ayer Keroh is the only one of the three mixed constituencies previously held by DAP in Melaka that remains under the party’s control. The other two, Bemban and Duyong, were lost to PN and BN respectively in the 2021 election.
“If non-Malay voters don’t come out, it’s not impossible for us to win Ayer Keroh,” Fadhli said.
“It could be Chennah number two. If BN could win Chennah… it’s not impossible that we can win Ayer Keroh if non-Malay voters don’t come out.”
DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook lost Chennah to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by 688 votes in the Negeri Sembilan election in August, ending his bid to serve as the constituency’s assemblyman for a fourth consecutive term.
Machap and Bukit Katil among PN’s targets
Fadhli said PN’s other key targets in Melaka included Machap and Bukit Katil, where he believed the combined votes for PN and BN could give PN an advantage.
He said Bukit Katil would be among the closely watched constituencies, noting that it was previously won by Adly Zahari, PH’s candidate for chief minister.
Fadhli also said campaigning on social media had already intensified, describing Bukit Katil as a potential “hot seat”.
