KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional should collaborate with its partners in the unity government, including DAP in the Mahkota by-election, and avoid the strategy used in Nenggiri due to the mixed voter demographic in the state seat in Johor,
While excluding DAP from BN's Nenggiri campaign proved effective, the same approach was unsuitable for Mahkota, which is in the Kluang parliamentary seat.
Geostrategist and Nusantara Strategic Research Academy senior fellow, Prof Dr Azmi Hassan said Mahkota's nearly 50 per cent non-Malay voter composition
necessitated help from the component parties, especially from both the BN and Pakatan Harapan coalitions.
"In the upcoming by-election, Umno will need the support of PH supporters because they have a significant voter base (from non-Malay voters).
"The strategy used in Nenggiri cannot be applied in Mahkota, where Umno needs support from DAP, Amanah, and PKR," Azmi told the New Straits Times.
He emphasized the importance of involving PH component parties, especially given Kluang Amanah's interest in the seat and Umno's decision to exclude its unity government partners from the party's general assembly this week.
He said excluding PH could result in lower voter turnout due to potential sabotage from their supporters.
The Mahkota state seat is one of two in the Kluang parliamentary seat, which is held by a DAP elected representative since 2013.
There are 54.51 per cent Malay voters, 34.52 per cent Chinese and 7.72 per cent Indian voters in the Mahkota state constituency.
Meanwhile, Professor James Chin from the University of Tasmania's Asia Institute echoed similar sentiments, noting that Mahkota is an urban seat with a significant Chinese electorate, making DAP's involvement crucial for garnering support from the community.
He also pointed out that Chinese voters have previously expressed dissatisfaction with the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim government by abstaining from by-elections, which could pose a challenge for BN if DAP does not participate in Mahkota.
"Whatever the case, Umno will try to leverage the momentum from Nenggiri's victory to secure another win.
"However, as I mentioned earlier, it's a completely different situation (in Mahkota), and excluding DAP in this by-election doesn't necessarily guarantee a win (for BN)," Chin added.
Last Saturday, BN's Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani won the Nenggiri by-election with 9,091 votes. DAP did not participate in the campaign after BN by-election director Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah requested their absence, citing the constituency's "100 percent Malay" demographic.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Ahmad Maslan had later remarked that DAP's presence was unnecessary, given the small number of Chinese voters in Nenggiri.
On Sunday, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed that BN, particularly Umno, would not replicate the Nenggiri strategy in Mahkota due to the differing political landscape and demographics of the two seats.
The Mahkota by-election was called following the death of its assemblyman, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain on Aug 2.
In the 2022 Johor state election, Sharifah Azizah won the Mahkota seat with a majority of 5,166 votes in a four-way contest. The Election Commission has set Sept 14 as the nomination day and Sept 28 for polling.