'Caught in the wave': How BN-PN's 'Malay unity' push undercut Bersatu, boosted Berjasa in Nilai
'Bersatu needs to revitalise itself or risk more electoral setbacks.'
In the aftermath of the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan election, it is clear that the landslide victory of BN and Perikatan Nasional has dealt a major blow to Pakatan Harapan's eight-year rule in the state. However, the results from Nilai, a critical constituency, present a more nuanced picture. With Malays comprising less than half (46 percent) of the electorate, the five-way contest for Nilai saw BN fielding MCA's Alan Lai, who finished second with 30.4 percent of the vote.
Despite the challenging demographic makeup, DAP's J Arul Kumar managed to retain the seat for his fourth term, but his majority had shrunk considerably from 47.3 percent in 2018, 37.7 percent in 2023, to just 18.3 percent this time around. The most striking development was the surge in Berjasa's fortunes. Their candidate, Zamani Ibrahim, contested as part of the BN-PN alliance and emerged victorious, securing a fourth term with 48.8 percent of the vote.
This significant gain in Berjasa's support suggests that the alliance's Malay unity push may have inadvertently benefited them, while simultaneously weakening Bersatu's position in Nilai.
Written by urgent.news from Malaysiakini's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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