Despite Pakatan Harapan suffering a major setback in the Johor state election, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke claimed that support from Chinese voters remained strong in several constituencies.
Speaking to reporters in Jelebu on July 12, Loke said more than 80% of Chinese voters in certain urban and Chinese-majority seats continued to support PH.
He added that DAP would not have been able to retain six seats without this level of backing.
DAP retained six seats
Loke said DAP’s voting pattern remained relatively consistent, particularly in urban areas.
According to him, DAP secured more than 50% of the vote in the six constituencies it won, indicating that the party still maintained considerable support among its traditional voter base.
However, DAP only retained six of the 10 seats it previously held in Johor.
PH won eight seats in total, down from 12 during the previous state election.
PN supporters allegedly shifted towards BN
Loke attributed BN’s landslide victory partly to a shift in support from Perikatan Nasional voters, particularly among Malay voters.
He explained that DAP had benefited from three-cornered contests in the previous state election, in which candidates could win with around 40% of the vote.
This time, however, several constituencies saw more direct contests. Loke claimed that votes previously given to PN had shifted towards BN instead of PH, giving BN candidates an advantage.
BN ultimately won 48 of Johor’s 56 seats, while PH secured the remaining eight. PN and Bersama failed to win any seats.
PH to focus on Negeri Sembilan
While acknowledging that the Johor results were disappointing for PH, Loke said the coalition would not dwell on the defeat.
He added that PH would now shift its attention towards the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1, where the coalition would need to work harder to defend its existing seats and secure enough support to form the state government.
