Chinese vote deciding factor in Johor state - GE13
Updated 30 April 2013, 21:52 AEST
With days to go before May 5th, PR's predominantly-Chinese
Democratic Action Party is pulling out all stops, hosting 'ceramahs' or
campaign meetings, to woo voters away from the Malaysian Chinese
Association, the MCA, which is a key component of the Malay-dominated BN coalition.
Apart from Johor, the opposition is also eyeing ten seats each in the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Connect Asia host Liam Cochrane was on Borneo island earlier this week and is now reporting from Johor.
I began by asking him if gifts of 500-ringgit might do the trick for Barisan Nasional in Sabah and Sarawak?
Presenter: Sen Lam
Correspondent: Liam Cochrane, host of Connect Asia on Radio Australia
COCHRANE: Well, gifts of 500 ringgit are very popular with rural voters. They're taking the money at least. Whether they actually vote Barisan Nasional is another question that will only be answered on Sunday. But Sen, the two eastern states are very different political environments to the peninsula. There's a strong indigenous population in both states, as well as of course, the Chinese Malaysians and those from west Malaysia. There's a feeling from among many of the native-born Sabahans and Sarawakians, that they haven't really got what they've deserved from the natural resources there - the oil, the timber and the palm oil plantations. So, there certainly is a mood for change among young voters, among indigenous people, and the urban Chinese are also expected to mostly support the Opposition.
But Sen, there're a few local factors that are absolutely key in these states. In Sarawak, the chief minister, Taib Mahmud is extremely powerful - he's been chief minister since the early 1980s and his party is in the BN coalition - so that will be certainly a strong factor in Sarawak. And in Sabah, there've been hundreds and thousands of immigrants from the Philippines and from Indonesia who've settled in the state, over the past few decades. And it's thought that generally, they will support the government, that they will be grateful for the opportunity that they've got to live in Malaysia and that they'll probably line up with the government. But there's genuine uncertainty about whether these indications that we're looking at, for clues as to what will happen for this big election will actually become votes either way.
The opposition is wanting ten seats in each of the key states of Sabah, Sarawak and Johor. And although predictiions, especially in this volatile environment are dangerous, the local pundits are saying that between six and eight opposition seats are probably a fair expectation in Sarawak, and in Sabah, the opposition is likely to pick up five or six seats. But as I say, it could be a very different result on Sunday.
LAM: Indeed, as you point out, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat will try to capitalise on voter discontentment in both Sabah and Sarawak - you're in the southern state of Johor now, on peninsular Malaysia, Liam. That's the birthplace of UMNO, and yet the opposition PR is trying to make in-roads there. What's the atmosphere in Johor - especially amongst the non-Malays - what are PR's chances there?
COCHRANE: Well, Sen the Chinese vote is the real key battle in the state of Johor, and the opposition have decided on a quite bold and quite aggressive strategy for this state. They've brought in some of their 'big hitters' - (DAP chief) Lim Kit Siang and (International spokesman) Liew Chin Tong - two of the main ones. And the idea is to try and wrest away the vote that have traditionally gone to the Malaysian Chinese Association, which is an ally of the ruling coalition (BN coalition partner), trying to get those votes from the Chinese community into their parties, the DAP - the Democratic Action Party, which is part of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat. And the Pakatan Rakyat has also brought in another 'big hitter' from the Islamic party PAS, and that's Salahuddin Ayub. And they're hoping that he'll bring some votes in from the Islamic communities. Whether that will be successful or not, it's a bit difficult to tell at this stage.
There was a rally that I went to yesterday, with caretaker prime minister Najib Razak - he was announcing an approval for a new Chinese school. They're seriously trying to get the Chinese vote, but so are the Opposition.
Go HERE to hear the interview.
Association, the MCA, which is a key component of the Malay-dominated BN coalition.
Apart from Johor, the opposition is also eyeing ten seats each in the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Connect Asia host Liam Cochrane was on Borneo island earlier this week and is now reporting from Johor.
I began by asking him if gifts of 500-ringgit might do the trick for Barisan Nasional in Sabah and Sarawak?
Presenter: Sen Lam
Correspondent: Liam Cochrane, host of Connect Asia on Radio Australia
COCHRANE: Well, gifts of 500 ringgit are very popular with rural voters. They're taking the money at least. Whether they actually vote Barisan Nasional is another question that will only be answered on Sunday. But Sen, the two eastern states are very different political environments to the peninsula. There's a strong indigenous population in both states, as well as of course, the Chinese Malaysians and those from west Malaysia. There's a feeling from among many of the native-born Sabahans and Sarawakians, that they haven't really got what they've deserved from the natural resources there - the oil, the timber and the palm oil plantations. So, there certainly is a mood for change among young voters, among indigenous people, and the urban Chinese are also expected to mostly support the Opposition.
But Sen, there're a few local factors that are absolutely key in these states. In Sarawak, the chief minister, Taib Mahmud is extremely powerful - he's been chief minister since the early 1980s and his party is in the BN coalition - so that will be certainly a strong factor in Sarawak. And in Sabah, there've been hundreds and thousands of immigrants from the Philippines and from Indonesia who've settled in the state, over the past few decades. And it's thought that generally, they will support the government, that they will be grateful for the opportunity that they've got to live in Malaysia and that they'll probably line up with the government. But there's genuine uncertainty about whether these indications that we're looking at, for clues as to what will happen for this big election will actually become votes either way.
The opposition is wanting ten seats in each of the key states of Sabah, Sarawak and Johor. And although predictiions, especially in this volatile environment are dangerous, the local pundits are saying that between six and eight opposition seats are probably a fair expectation in Sarawak, and in Sabah, the opposition is likely to pick up five or six seats. But as I say, it could be a very different result on Sunday.
LAM: Indeed, as you point out, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat will try to capitalise on voter discontentment in both Sabah and Sarawak - you're in the southern state of Johor now, on peninsular Malaysia, Liam. That's the birthplace of UMNO, and yet the opposition PR is trying to make in-roads there. What's the atmosphere in Johor - especially amongst the non-Malays - what are PR's chances there?
COCHRANE: Well, Sen the Chinese vote is the real key battle in the state of Johor, and the opposition have decided on a quite bold and quite aggressive strategy for this state. They've brought in some of their 'big hitters' - (DAP chief) Lim Kit Siang and (International spokesman) Liew Chin Tong - two of the main ones. And the idea is to try and wrest away the vote that have traditionally gone to the Malaysian Chinese Association, which is an ally of the ruling coalition (BN coalition partner), trying to get those votes from the Chinese community into their parties, the DAP - the Democratic Action Party, which is part of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat. And the Pakatan Rakyat has also brought in another 'big hitter' from the Islamic party PAS, and that's Salahuddin Ayub. And they're hoping that he'll bring some votes in from the Islamic communities. Whether that will be successful or not, it's a bit difficult to tell at this stage.
There was a rally that I went to yesterday, with caretaker prime minister Najib Razak - he was announcing an approval for a new Chinese school. They're seriously trying to get the Chinese vote, but so are the Opposition.
Go HERE to hear the interview.
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