DAP has dismissed claims that it failed to win the support of Malay voters, with its vice-chairman Syahredzan Johan arguing that the party’s performance in the 15th General Election (GE15) reflected backing from Malaysians of all communities.
Responding to remarks by MCA vice-president Wee Jeck Seng, Syahredzan said DAP had always positioned itself as a multiracial party that sought support from Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazan, Iban and other communities.
He said it would have been impossible for DAP to secure 40 parliamentary seats in GE15 if it had not received votes from Malay voters.
Bangi cited as example of Malay support
Syahredzan, who is also the Bangi MP, said the party’s success in defending the Bangi parliamentary seat demonstrated that it enjoyed support from the Malay electorate.
He noted that Malay voters make up the largest voting bloc in Bangi, accounting for 48.7% of the electorate, followed by Chinese voters at 36.8%, Indians at 11.1% and others at 2.4%.
According to Syahredzan, he would not have been able to retain the constituency for DAP without support from Malay voters.
His remarks came after Wee was quoted as saying DAP should reflect on its inability to win Malay support, while claiming that many Malays continued to back MCA out of recognition for the Barisan Nasional component party’s contributions.
Wee also said DAP appeared more focused on attacking MCA than examining why it continued to be rejected by most Malay voters.
DAP questions MCA’s support base
In response, Syahredzan questioned MCA’s own level of support among Chinese voters, saying the party had experienced a significant decline in backing from the community over the past two decades.
He asked why MCA now had the support of less than 15% of Chinese voters.
Separately, Perak DAP vice-chairman Aziz Bari described Wee’s remarks as assumptions that were not supported by data.
He questioned whether any survey or study had been conducted to substantiate the claims, adding that the remarks were merely assertions made by MCA.
DAP currently holds 40 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, making it the second-largest party in Parliament after PAS and the largest party within the government bloc. MCA has two parliamentary seats.
However, Pakatan Harapan has faced setbacks in recent state elections, including failing to secure representation in the Sabah state assembly election last November and losing several key strongholds in the Johor state election last month.
