MELAKA: Melaka DAP chairman Khoo Poay Tiong has attributed Pakatan Harapan’s defeat in the state election to identity politics employed by Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional.
He claimed that the two coalitions had used narratives centred on Malay and Muslim unity, making it difficult for PH’s other component parties to secure electoral support.
“From what I observed, our component parties came under pressure from BN and PN, which employed a strategy of identity politics.
“They used narratives that Malays must unite and Muslims must unite. I believe these tactics made things difficult for our component parties in this election,” he told a press conference.
Khoo said DAP, however, managed to retain all four of its state seats, which he attributed to the continued support of its loyal voters.
He acknowledged that PH’s overall performance had fallen short of expectations, particularly as its other component parties failed to secure any seats.
“Although we managed to defend all four of our seats, our component parties were unsuccessful this time.
“This is something we must examine thoroughly through a post-mortem to identify our weaknesses and regain the people’s support,” he said.
The Kota Melaka member of parliament said the election results had sent a clear message to PH, stressing that all component parties must collectively shoulder responsibility for the outcome.
PH won four of the 24 seats it contested in the Melaka election, namely Kota Laksamana, Kesidang, Ayer Keroh and Bandar Hilir, based on unofficial results.