Effect OF MUHYIDDIN’S COMMENT ON JOHOR Citizens
Due to Johor’s multi-ethnic cultural makeup, according to watchers CNA spoke with, the controversy surrounding the issue may have an impact on the state of PN. & nbsp,
According to senior fellow Dr. Azmi Hassan of the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, voters in Johor have different ideas than those in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah because they are in the urban and semi-urban( people ). & nbsp,
Despite Muhyiddin’s clarification that the word he used was” merely a figure of speech ,” political scientist Dr. Awang Azman-Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya thought the PN chairman might misunderstand him because the Pulai chair is an PH stronghold.
He claimed that it would have an impact on voters’ choices, particularly Taiwanese voters who are upset about Muhyiddin’s ease with which he associated the phrase with Islamic principles. & nbsp,
He continued by saying that this issue may have a negative effect on PN’s attempts to win both by-elections. & nbsp,
Prof. Awang believes that Muhyiddin’s reputation as a senator in Johor was negatively impacted by this event because he appeared to be” desperate” to win over voters. & nbsp,
Therefore, he said,” This could have an effect on PN’s efforts to win as they seem desperate to lose the two by-elections, while some Malays( followers, whether they are PH or BN, are uncomfortable with the word that invokes religious parts.” & nbsp,
Senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs Dr. Oh Ei Sun predicted that the issue would increase the number of non-Malay voters who would cast ballots on election day out of concern that a PN victory would hasten and usher in Malaysia’s Parti Islam Se ( PAS )- dominant theocracy. & nbsp,
PAS is a part of the PN. & nbsp,
According to Dr. Oh,” The by-elections may show whether this kind of multicultural camaraderie may still exist in Johor or has it become more polarized in even supposedly more urbanized states like Selangor and Penang where PN made considerable political inroads.” & nbsp,
The PN alliance made significant progress in the position assemblies of Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan during the six position elections next month, winning 22, 11 and five chairs, both. & nbsp,
PAS won three votes in Negeri Sembilan, seven in Penang, and ten in Selangor. & nbsp,
On the other hand, he did not rule out the possibility that the problem may result in the expulsion of even more Asian voters.
This is because his message, which largely implied that it was against the law to vote for President Ph, would actually resonate with a Malay electorate that was becoming more conservative and spiritually inspired, Dr. Oh told CNA.