Opposition must regroup, low turnout at polls worrying, says Anwar

Alfian Z.M. Tahir Alfian Z.M. Tahir Updated 4 years ago · Published on 13 Mar 2022 10:48AM · 2 Comments

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says continued low voter turnout during at the polls could harm the country’s democracy. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 13, 2022.

THE opposition’s heavy loss in the Johor polls must serve as a reminder for all opposition parties to regroup to face the general election, Anwar Ibrahim said today.

In a statement, the PKR president and Pakatan Harapan chief said he was also concerned about the trend of low voter turnout at the polls that he said could threaten democracy.

“Congratulations to Barisan Nasional (BN) for the win. PKR accepts the decision of Johor folk.

“This defeat should serve as a reminder for all parties to shore up their strength again to face the general election. But the low voter turnout trend is a worry and if this continues, it can harm democracy,” he said.

In the elections yesterday, BN won 40 out of the 56 seats in Johor, with the leading opposition pact Pakatan Harapan (PH) winning 12 seats – 11 through DAP and Amanah, while PKR, which used its own logo, won one.

Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) won three seats, with the former prime minister calling the coalition “underdogs”. Youth-based party, Muda, an ally of PH, won one seat.

None of the other new parties, including Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Pejuang and PKR splinter Parti Bangsa Malaysia, won any seats. All their candidates lost their deposits.

There were 2.59 million voters registered, including 18-year-olds first-time voters and new electors under the automatic voter registration system in the state elections.

However, voter turnout was low, with only slightly more than 50% turning up to cast their ballot. – March 13, 2022.

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Comments

  • It is time you see the writing on the wall. Its not just losing but losing badly. PKR and PH are not competitive in the votes. You Guan Eng and Mat Sabu must retire and allow the younger gen take over. Your continued holding onto power is detrimental to PH. Give it up to Rafizi and your daughter to lead. You have made to many political missteps and miscalculations.

    Posted 4 years ago by Michael Raj · Reply

  • Stop blaming low voter turnout. Look at yourself and the coalition. There is no oomph factor in any of the coalition parties. Amanah is as good as dead. PKR and DAP cannot see eye to eye. In name they claim they are united but they are fighting like cats and dogs and the voters can see it. Anwar is not the right person to lead the coalition. He is looked upon as a PM wannabe and thats it. Nobody trust him..not anymore. PH needs to bring new leaders in. We are fed up w the old faces and the same old same old rhetoric.

    Posted 4 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply