IT will not be easy for PAS and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to win in Bangi, which has been firmly in the hands of DAP for the past two parliamentary terms, a think tank and voters have said.

It appears that PAS will not be able to rely on Malay support in the seat previously known as Serdang, nor will it counter DAP’s influence on non-Malay voters.

“On paper, the PN’s chances are slim in Bangi. Without non-Malay support as a whole, it is quite impossible for the PN to win this seat,” Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar told The Malaysian Insight.

The Bangi constituency was formed by combining parts of Serdang and Hulu Langat as a result of delineation prior to the 2018 general election.

It is a mixed seat with more than 300,000 voters following automatic voter registration, roughly 51% of which are Malay. In 2018, there were almost 179,000 registered voters.

With Bangi, there are three state constituencies: Kajang, Balakong, and Sungai Ramal (previously known as Bangi), which was twice represented by PAS in 2008 and 2013.

On Tuesday, PN launched its election campaign in the area, aimed at attracting the support of Malay voters.

However, Hisommudin said PN needs to demonstrate how it intends to convince non-Malay voters.

“The Malay vote – concentrated on Barisan Nasional (BN) and PN – will clearly be fiercely fought over if there is a three-cornered contest, because PH will also steal a little.

“The non-Malay votes here are more in favour of PH than other coalitions. In this context, it will give PH an advantage over PAS and PN,” he said.

Yesterday, DAP announced lawyer Syahredzan Johan, political secretary to Lim Kit Siang, will stand in Bangi.

Current MP Ong Kian Ming, who is represented the constituency since 2013, announced earlier this year that he would not stand for re-election.

Hisommudin sees DAP as being able to maintain dominance in this parliamentary constituency by fielding a Malay candidate.

“The non-Malay composition of this seat is in the high category, making this a winnable seat for DAP.

“The exchange of Ong to Syahredzan shows that DAP sees this area as winnable and that exchange does not affect the party’s chances.

“Malay candidates can increase the support of the Malay vote and I predict DAP will win,” Hisommudin said.

PN is expected to field a PAS candidate in the constituency, with district PAS chairman Mohd Shafie Ngah one of the names in the hat.

He lost Serdang to Ong but retained his Bangi state seat.

Voters reject PAS

Some voters whom The Malaysian Insight met this week, especially in the non-Malay voter group, said they would reject PAS.

R. Geganathan, 46, said that PAS administrations nationwide had shown they were not friendly to non-Muslim voters.

He said PAS’s policies did not celebrate the diversity of races and religions in this country.

“For example, they wanted to close down 4D outlets (in Kedah)... PAS messed up everything, not even a concert is allowed.

“They forget that this country is multiracial. Yet with PAS, it’s impossible,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Geganatha, who voted PH in 2018, said he was yet to choose between BN and PH in the November 19 election.

“However, I will reject the PAS candidate,” he said.

According to Aiman Hakim, 29, the constituency has improved much with Ong as its lawmaker, so much so that he said he had decided to stick with PH.

“Since this party (DAP) has won Bangi, many changes have taken place and I hope (the next representative) understands the wishes of the local people,” he said.

R. Ramesh, 39, also refused to vote for PN if the coalition fielded a PAS candidate.

He believed that with PAS as a part of PN, the coalition will be rejected by non-Malays.

“I think Bersatu also will be sent packing because people don’t want to support PAS,” he said.

However, he said he had already decided to choose BN, because he was confident that the coalition would bring stability.

“I voted for PH in 2018, but we saw the government was unstable, all kinds of things happen in one term.

“Therefore, this time I want to vote for BN as our country needs stability,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shafie, shortly after the PN launch, insisted PN has an advantage over Syahredzan.

“He is generally not well-liked by the people here,” Shafie claimed.

“This is advantageous to us. Their strategy of placing a Malay candidate here can backfire. That will be our advantage,” he said. – October 28, 2022.