Menang di Ayer Keroh bukti DAP masih disokong pelbagai kaum, kata Khoo

The victory of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in Ayer Keroh has demonstrated that the party continues to garner support from a diverse electorate, according to Khoo Poay Tiong, the party's vice-chairman in Melaka. In a media briefing at DAP Melaka's headquarters, Khoo emphasized that the party's success in retaining the seat is particularly significant given the numerous predictions that DAP would suffer a setback due to its coalition with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Ayer Keroh is a mixed area with a fairly balanced distribution of voters from various backgrounds, he explained at the media briefing. According to him, the win affirms that the DAP candidate still enjoys broad support from the electorate. Prior to this, political analyst and former DAP MP Ong Kian Ming listed Ayer Keroh among the risky seats that could potentially fall to the BN-PN alliance.

Chinese voters make up 46% of the total Ayer Keroh electorate, followed by Malays (44.1%) and Indians (8.2%). DAP candidate Kerk Chee Yee retained the seat by securing 14,078 votes with a majority of 5,604, defeating Michael Gan (PN), Hamnaim Mohamad (Bersatu), and Muhaimin Lau Abdullah (Bersama).

DAP also managed to retain three other seats – Kota Laksamana, Kesidang, and Bandar Hilir. Khoo attributed their success to the long-standing relationship between DAP and the Melaka electorate, noting that the party has been present in the state since 1969. However, he acknowledged that DAP was disappointed when its coalition partners in Pakatan Harapan (PH) failed to win any seats.

He claimed that BN and PN's emphasis on Malay and Islamic identity during the election campaign undermined the party's ethnic and religious component supporters. He also blamed the strategy on Amanah and PKR, which failed to win any seats.