Johor by-elections: Pakatan ahead of Barisan in a poll

Pakatan Harapan is leading with 53 per cent support against 44 per cent for the Barisan Nasional in the Tanjung Piai by-elections, according to a poll by the Institute Darul Ehsan (IDE).

The voters go to poll tomorrow and there is a trend in favour of the BN candidate but the voters seem to be changing their mood every single day.

The survey involved 1,200 respondents and IDE says Malay support for PH in Tanjung Piai has increased from 32 per cent in the last general elections to 48 per cent.

It appears the Malay voters have a grudge against the BN and ex-PM Najib Razak with the corruption trials ongoing and the abuse of power under Najib played up by the Pakatan machinery.

The IDE survey also revealed the Chinese support for PH stood at 61 per cent, a slight drop of three per cent from GE14, which is a big boost to the PH candidate.

In the run-up to election day, the Barisan Nasional and Malaysian Chinese Association campaigners said there was a swing in Chinese votes and they got the seat in the bag.

They supposed the Malay votes were almost entirely in their favour. But the increase in Malay support, according to IDE, is not good news for the BN.

Another element that may play against the BN, if the tide is really turning against them, is the Islamists messages in the past to Malay voters not to vote for non-Malays.

The PAS made it clear to its voters in the last general elections that voting for the party and for Malay candidates is a must in Islam.

Now that the BN candidate is an ethnic Chinese, there is confusion as to whether the ‘Islamists’ will vote for a non-Malay who is now accused of being anti-Islamic as he opposes calligraphy studies in vernacular schools.

However, IDE says the PH will still have to convince some 12 per cent of fence-sitters in order to win the by-election and retain the Parliamentary seat. -/TISG