SANDAKAN: Pakatan Harapan (PH) lost the Melaka state election due to several factors, which include a weak election machinery, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
PH won five of the 28 seats contested in the election yesterday compared to 15 seats previously.
"Another factor was the low voter turnout which dropped by 20 per cent from 85 to 65 per cent. In terms of machinery, we are also weak and that is something we have to improve.
"If the percentage of voters can be increased by 15 to 20 per cent, it will be enough for us to win," he told a press conference at the Sabah DAP Convention, in Sandakan, today.
Lim added the election boundaries had also given Barisan Nasional (BN) an advantage though they only won 38 per cent of the popular vote.
Another factor which he claimed contributed to PH defeat was the restriction of meeting voters as before.
He said the four seats won by DAP were iconic as the majorities were big.
"The number of majority victories in the four seats were very large with at least between 6,000 to 11,000.
"As for the four seats we lost, the majority was slim, which is between the smallest 131 to a thousand more," he said.
Meanwhile, commenting on the upcoming Sarawak election, Lim said it would be challenging for PH.
"If we look at what happened in Melaka, of course they will try to limit the candidates from meeting the voters in person.
"It's even worse because many of them live in longhouses in rural areas, which it is difficult to access and lacks internet access.
"However, we will continue to fight and hope the people know the importance of supporting a clean party that is able to deal with the crisis," he said.