JOHOR BARU: Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong refuted claims that the turnout of Chinese voters in the Mahkota state seat by-election in Kluang was significantly lower than expected.
He said claims suggesting that Chinese voters' turnout was as low as 35 per cent was incorrect.
"Based on data from Institute Darul Ehsan, turnout figures were much closer to those of the Johor State Election in 2022," he said.
"There has been quite a bit of polemic about voter turnout in the Mahkota by-election, especially focusing on the turnout rate from each ethnic group.
"As very few polling stations consist of a single ethnic group, all commentators are using their own estimated numbers," he stated today.
According to IDE's data, the turnout was 61 per cent for Malays, 49 per cent for Chinese, and 48 per cent for Indians.
To provide further clarity, Liew cited specific polling stations as indicative of ethnic turnout.
"For instance, Kampong Melayu I, which had 95.74 per cent Malay voters, had an average turnout of 61 per cent across its five polling streams.
"Meanwhile, Bandar Tengah, a predominantly Chinese polling station with 81 per cent Chinese voters, saw an average turnout of 49 per cent."
Despite concerns over low Chinese voter participation, Liew stressed that the overall turnout in Bandar Tengah aligned with the IDE estimates, pointing out that the maximum possible turnout would not exceed 55 per cent, even under ideal conditions.
He said Barisan Nasional's Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah secured a landslide victory, in all 121 polling channels across 18 polling stations.
"This this included eight key stations that were previously strongholds for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 2022 state election—such as Bandar Tengah, Taman Lian Seng, and Taman Suria—which BN won by a wide margin this time around," he added.
Liew attributed BN's success to the transferability of votes from PH's traditional voter base, stating that intense campaigning and effective persuasion efforts resulted in many core PH supporters, regardless of ethnicity, backing Syed Hussien in the recent by-election.
"This victory is a testament to the transferability of votes, driven by relentless campaigning that aligned BN with the leadership of Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim."
He added the turnout among older voters remained steady, but acknowledged that younger voters, particularly those working out of town in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, were less engaged.
Many younger voters were unaware of their eligibility to vote, despite automatic voter registration.
"Awareness among younger voters was insufficient," Liew noted, adding that the by-election campaign faced additional challenges due to internal political disputes.
Liew added that the overall voter turnout, particularly among Chinese voters, was closer to 50 per cent contrary to claims of a much lower rate.
"BN's victory was largely due to the successful transfer of PH's core supporters to Syed Hussien's camp, resulting in a decisive win for BN in the Mahkota by-election," Liew said.
BN retained Mahkota with an overwhelming 20,648 majority.
Syed Hussien secured 27,995 votes, while Perikatan Nasional's Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, garnered 7,347 votes.