KUALA LUMPUR: While the defeat of Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Kuala Kubu Baharu election was expected, analysts say the outcome could have been more devastating if its component party Gerakan had insisted on fielding their Chinese candidates.
Thus, Gerakan's association with Perikatan Nasional's divisive brand of politics may have nullified any chances it had to woo the Chinese community.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Ethnic Studies Institute (KITA), senior fellow Associate Professor Dr Helen Ting Mu Hung said a Gerakan candidate would not have any better chance of gaining support from the voters.
She said the sentiments on the ground in Kuala Kubu Baharu mirrored those of the previous state election, where PN faced strong opposition.
"Voters' sentiments have remained consistent since the last state election. This suggests that non-Malay voters' rejection of PN's divisive politics remains steadfast.
"Their negative sentiment was further exacerbated by Pas leaders' use of racial and religious rhetoric in their campaign," she told the New Straits Times.
Echoing her views, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun warned that PN could face even worse Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election results if Gerakan insists on fielding its candidate.
The analysts also argued that Gerakan's decision to allow Bersatu to nominate a candidate in the by-election was a strategic move driven by the need to appeal to Malay voters.
Oh said Malay voters, who constitute the majority in the constituency, would be more reluctant to cast their ballots for a candidate from another race.
"If Gerakan remains steadfast in their decision to field their candidate, they may fare even worse, as they have struggled to secure significant support from Chinese voters.
"Additionally, Malay voters may be more hesitant to vote for a Gerakan candidate than one from a Malay party."
He added that Gerakan has lost its influence in the nation's political landscape, particularly in winning over Chinese voters, who have traditionally been its target supporters.
This shift is attributed to the extremist sentiments associated with PN's components, which have led Chinese voters to seek alternative candidates.
"Chinese voters perceive Gerakan as political traitors for aligning themselves with what they view as extremist Pas."
In the previous state election, the Kuala Kubu Baharu seat was contested by a Gerakan candidate representing PN, Henry Teoh Kien Hong, who served as the chairman of Gerakan Selangor.
However, in the latest by-election, Gerakan paved the way for its ally, Bersatu, to field the Malay candidate, Khairul Azhari Saut, to compete against Pakatan Harapan's Pang Sock Taoh.
Pang successfully retained the DAP traditional seat with a majority of 3,869 votes,
She won 14,000 votes, defeating PN's Khairul Azhari Saut, who gained 10,131 votes, while Parti Rakyat Malaysia's Hafizah Zainuddin secured 152 votes and independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin secured 188.