A SMEAR campaign against DAP is having little effect on Selangor’s Malay voters even as Umno and PAS ratchet up their vitriol against the Chinese-majority party ahead of the 14th general election.
A study by two academics among 1,943 Selangor residents found that only 24% believed the statement that “if Pakatan Harapan were to win the general election, DAP would rule the country”.
The anti-DAP narrative is currently being used by Umno and the Barisan Nasional coalition it leads in their quest to regain Selangor, which has been ruled by first Pakatan Rakyat and now, PH, since 2008.
PAS is also vilifying DAP despite the fact that the latter’s non-Muslim supporters helped it win new territory in Selangor in the 13th general election.
DAP is part of a four-party PH coalition. PAS is leading a separate opposition bloc called Gagasan Rakyat Sejahtera.
PAS, PH and the BN are likely to contest against each other in seats in Selangor and the rest of the peninsula.
“Many Malays realise that Chinese voters only comprise 23% of the populace and that only DAP is led by the Chinese. The other three PH parties are helmed by Malays,” said Latif who conducted the study with Dr Mazlan Ali.
Both are with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Kuala Lumpur campus.
The study surveyed Malay voters in two state constituencies, Hulu Klang and Gombak Setia, both of which are under the Gombak parliamentary seat. The seat is held by Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali.
Face-to-face surveys were conducted between March and May among 996 Malay voters in Hulu Klang and 947 in Gombak Setia.
They were asked to respond to the question: “I believe that if Pakatan Harapan wins the next general election, DAP will rule the country”.
Latif said the responses from the two areas were almost similar. About 31.2% believed the statement was irrelevant.
Of those who agreed, 6.1% said they “strongly agreed” while 18.8% said they “agreed”.
About 23.7% said they somewhat disagreed while 20.2% disagreed.
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Hulu Klang is represented by Saari Sungib from Amanah, a PH party, while Gombak Setia is held by Hasbullah Mohd Ridzwan of PAS.
As of the March 2016 voter roll, both seats have a total of 101,600 voters, an increase of 9,000 voters from GE13 where 92,421 voted.
In the 2013 polls, Saari defeated Abdul Rahim Pandak Kamarudin from BN by 2,881 votes. The seat’s voters are 80% Malay.
Hasbullah defeated BN’s Said Anuar Said Ahmad by 1,681 votes. Gombak Setia’s voters are 77% Malay.
Both areas are considered PAS fortresses. The Islamist party’s old base in Taman Melewar used to serve as its headquarters before it moved its office to Jalan Raja Laut in Kuala Lumpur.
PAS, which holds 13 seats throughout Selangor, is currently part of the Selangor government together with PKR and DAP. In 2015 it decided to cut ties with PKR and DAP, and has announced that it will contest against its former allies.
DAP currently holds 14 state seats, PKR (13), BN (12), Amanah (two) and independents (two).
Umno and PAS are using the anti-DAP narrative to win over Malay voters as there are 11 months to go before the mandate for the federal government expires. A general election must be called by August 2018.
Both parties are attempting to play up fears that the country will be ruled by a Chinese prime minister from DAP if PH wins. The constitution is silent on the prime minister’s ethnicity although by convention, the person is a Malay Muslim by the fact that Malays make up 68% of the population.
PAS’ leaders repeatedly lambasted DAP at its recently concluded Fastaqim 2.0 mega-rally in Kuala Terengganu where the party officially launched its political coalition and election machinery.
PAS Youth chief Mohamad Khalid Abdul Hadi once accused DAP of being driven by Christian Evangelicals who want to turn Malaysia into a secular country.
Umno leaders, such as its president and Prime Minister Najib Razak and Supreme Council member Mohamad Hasan, have in the past claimed that DAP is pulling the strings in PH.
Najib’s aide Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad alleged that DAP was using former prime minister and PH chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad to repair its reputation of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam. – October 5, 2017.
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Comments
Posted 6 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply
Posted 6 years ago by Awang Top · Reply
Dap has been subjected to a sustained campaign of half-truths, lies, demonising by its arch enemy UMNO for close to six decades.
DAP is not DAP to all and sundry who grew up thru the ages, but DAPigs. A dispicable coinage of letters that has become a household and disparaging term for them and Malaysians.
This coinage can only come from UMNO's propoganda and indoctrination unit, JASA or its outsourced rogue cadres. Initially, it was to mean the Chinese voters but since it has backfired tremendously, just this couple of years when the coinage of the letters 1MDBpigs appeared in social media and public conversations it seems that it's no longer used.
DAP is now the whipping boy for PAS 'failure' for the empowerment of RUU355.
Nevermind that UMNO's political buddies in BN, MCA, MIC, GERAKAN are vocal in rejecting RUU355 or even as vehemently as the leaders in East Malaysian states, IT IS THE FAULT OF DAP.
Sustained demonising of DAP on this Muslim issue continues on the main stream media, goverment TV stations, cyber troopers, campaign or any speech by ministers never fails to mention even 'semblance' of DAP's ' complicity.'
This print is more of the same demonizing.
Come GE14, UMNO is afraid, very afraid and now this fear finds them using and abusing the religion of Islam to continuing their campaign to run DAP down.
Folks the smiling and confident strutting Najib is a facade, Najib is afraid very afraid.
Folks, its not politics you should vote for next GE, it the lost morality, that morality you should vote for, the global shame Malaysia suffered from the 1MDBpigs, the global shame of yours, your family, us Muslims lost morality thru Najib's abuse of our nation's coffers and that of Malaysia's.
And the blatant use and abuse of the religion of Islam to legitimise the theft and corruption.
Hidupp UMNO!?!
Now, today, moving on to GE14, the party of Islam PAS are love birding UMNO and in the absence of intellectuals after a purge and stucked in the mud of Mecca, ciplak, plagarised, the same UMNO narratives.
PAS now is hands in the gloves of UMNO.
Takbirrrrr!
Posted 6 years ago by Mustak Shaik · Reply