PN’s young voters unaware of PAS-Bersatu feud, says think tank

A think tank has revealed that Perikatan Nasional (PN) voters, particularly the younger demographic, are largely unaware of the internal struggle between Bersatu and PAS within the coalition. Ilham Centre, a think tank, conducted surveys and found that these young supporters were largely unaware of the feuding between the two factions, which now governs the coalition.

Ilham Centre's executive director, Hisommudin Bakar, highlighted that these young voters were mostly focused on PN and were unaware of the intricate dynamics within the coalition. During a panel discussion on the recent state elections at Universiti Malaya, Hisommudin shared that some of these young voters even mentioned voting for PN in seats where PN wasn't even contesting.

The think tank believes that PAS and opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin's Wawasan party stand to gain the most from this trend. PAS successfully utilized PN's brand during the Negeri Sembilan election results, while Wawasan party also capitalized on the situation.

In the Negeri Sembilan polls, PAS formed an alliance with Barisan Nasional (BN), with PN securing seven seats and BN winning 18, forming the state government. In protest at the BN pact, Bersatu contested under its own banner in 24 seats, but all candidates were defeated. Lower thresholds for BN-PN victories were noted during the panel, suggesting that if BN and PN were to replicate their model of cooperation in Melaka state election, the alliance could potentially win 24 out of 28 seats.

However, there would be significant challenges in seat negotiations for the Melaka polls. BN plans to defend its existing 21 seats, while PAS is not deterred by the possibility of clashing with the Umno-led coalition.

Political analyst Zaini Othman, from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, stated that there is nothing wrong with using identity politics in the country. He argued that Malaysia's regional and racial identities form the core of its federal structure. Othman emphasized that sentiments like "Sabah for Sabahans" and "Sarawak for Sarawakians" are deeply embedded in the country's political values, and taking these identities away from the people would lead to a revolt.