Ayer Keroh shows DAP still has broad support, says Khoo

Melaka DAP chairman Khoo Poay Tiong stated tonight that the party’s victory in Ayer Keroh demonstrates its continued broad support from voters across various communities. The DAP retained the seat with 14,078 votes, securing a 5,604-vote majority over PN’s Michael Gan and the other candidates. DAP’s Kerk Chee Yee’s win came despite many predicting a DAP defeat following the merger of Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional.

The constituency is predominantly mixed, with Chinese voters constituting 46% of the electorate, Malays at 44.1%, and Indians at 8.2%. Khoo attributed DAP’s success to its long-standing relationship with voters in Melaka, a party stronghold since 1969. However, he expressed disappointment that the party’s People’s Alliance (PH) partners, Amanah and PKR, failed to secure any seats.

Khoo blamed the BN and PN’s emphasis on identity politics centered around Malay and Muslim unity for the setbacks faced by PH’s component parties. He emphasized that the results necessitate an improvement in PH’s performance, with the component parties conducting a thorough post-election analysis to identify areas for improvement.