‘Kerusi India’ di P Pinang selamat buat DAP di sebalik perubahan trend undi

Analyst M Periasamy anticipates DAP can retain Bagan Dalam and Perai seats in Penang, which have a large Indian voter base, if elections occur soon. In George Town, the analyst predicts DAP will hold onto the two seats with the highest Indian voter count despite the recent trend of PRN gaining ground in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, where BN has claimed victories that traditionally belonged to DAP.

MIC won four seats in Johor while DAP lost Repah and Chennah in Negeri Sembilan, which their senior leader, Loke Siew Fook, had represented for three terms. While the losses may worry political observers about PH losing non-Malay voter support, including the strong-supporting Indian community in Negeri Sembilan, political independent M Periasamy says Bagan Dalam and Perai remain safe seats for DAP.

This is partly due to the loss of Malay votes to BN and the National Accord (PN) under the BN-Perikatan Nasional umbrella. He is confident that the Indian community's discontent is not with DAP but with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's handling of issues such as historical land disputes, scholarship quota programs, and Mitra (India Malaysia Transformation Unit).

The analyst emphasized that the Indian community is still supportive of PH but needs more effort from Kumaran to retain Bagan Dalam and Perai. While acknowledging a decrease in support among the Indian community in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, he believes the root causes lie in education, economic opportunities, social mobility, and community empowerment, which need to be addressed more urgently.

To secure future support, DAP and PH must approach the community, listen to their concerns, and demonstrate tangible results, with meaningful engagement at the grassroots level, effective communication of programs, and ensuring aid reaches individuals and organizations.