Populariti Noor Helmy cabaran besar DAP rampas Duyong

Noor Helmy Abdul Halem, a popular MP, is set to challenge DAP's prospects of taking Duyong, a parliamentary constituency currently held by the Barisan Nasional (BN) party, according to an analyst. Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia says that a three-cornered contest involving the Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN), and Pakatan Harapan (PH) could potentially open up opportunities for DAP to contest the seat.

However, he believes the task to be difficult due to the strong "political base" of Umno in Melaka, which has a majority Malay (60%) and Chinese (35%) electorate. The political narrative of Malay-Islam, evident in the elections of Johor and Negeri Sembilan, may also continue in Melaka. With 60% Malay voters, Umno is likely to have a significant advantage.

DAP's Melaka chief, Khoo Poay Tiong, previously announced that the party will contest eight seats in the Melaka PRN, including a bid to reclaim the Duyong seat. The seat was previously won by DAP's Damian Yeo Shen Li in PRU14 with a margin of 2,895 votes. However, Noor Helmy defeated Yeo and five other candidates with a 200-vote majority in the 2021 PRN Melaka.

Lau Zhe Wei from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia notes that the biggest challenge for DAP is the positive image of Noor Helmy, which is widely accepted across various ethnicities, religions, and economic backgrounds. DAP needs to be careful in promoting its candidate and not attacking Noor Helmy, especially in an unconstructive manner, he adds.

Lau also believes that DAP's approach to the Duyong incumbent could influence the perception of its supporters beyond the constituency. He warns that what happens in the Duyong constituency does not stop there and can reflect poorly on DAP's overall image, referring to the popular impact of Noor Helmy on social media.