Malaysians want change, says opposition leader after Perikatan Nasional gains in state polls

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has hailed the improved showing by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in states controlled by the unity government as an indication that the people want change, although an analyst said the results instead reflect a yearning for Malay dominance over Malaysian polity.

“Now, the people's referendum has been perfectly translated on the ballot,” Mr Hamzah, who is also the PN secretary-general, said in a Facebook post on Sunday (Aug 13). 

“The huge increase in votes for Perikatan Nasional in Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan gives an indication that the people want change. The people want a government that is more responsive to the issues they face.” 

During the six state elections last Saturday, PN made inroads in the states controlled by the PH-BN coalition. It grabbed 11 seats in Penang, up from one previously, quadrupled from five to 22 in Selangor, and went from zero to five seats in Negeri Sembilan. 

Mr Hamzah also noted that PN’s “big victories” in its own territories of Terengganu, Kedah and Kelantan reflect the people’s confidence in the state governments led by the coalition. 

In Terengganu, PN won a clean sweep of all 32 seats in the state assembly, and went from 20 to 33 seats in Kedah and 38 to 43 seats in Kelantan. 

“Infinite thanks … to the entire leadership and (election) machinery of Perikatan Nasional who have worked so hard - despite being pressured in all aspects by the arrogant (unity) government.

“Perikatan Nasional will continue to fight together with the people to make a Malaysia that is better, more transparent and fairer to all parties without considering skin colour, race or religion,” added Mr Hamzah. 

An analyst that CNA spoke to said PN’s gains in the PH-BN states indicate not a desire for change by Malaysians, but a yearning among many Malays for “a return to the pre-2018 absolute Malay dominance over Malaysian polity and society”. 

“As UMNO (United Malays National Organisation) is perceived to be scandal-ridden, (the Malays) go for other Malay parties such as PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) and Bersatu (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia),” said Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. 

UMNO is a BN-component party while PAS and Bersatu are PN-component parties. 

Dr Oh added that the results of the state polls suggest that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government is “very shaky”. 

“Members of Parliament (MPs) currently professing support for Anwar may sense the change in the political wind, and switch their support accordingly without offending the anti-hopping law,” he told CNA. 

The anti-hopping law – a constitutional amendment which came into force on Oct 5 – was first mooted as a bipartisan response to the Sheraton Move in 2020 which saw the collapse of the then-PH government.

Under the new law, politicians who switch parties will lose their seats, triggering a by-election. 

Following the state polls results on Sunday morning, PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, citing the opposition’s strong performance in the state elections, said that the people have rejected Mr Anwar’s unity government alliance. 

He also called for Mr Anwar’s resignation. 

Meanwhile, Mr Anwar, who leads the PH-BN alliance, stressed that the unity government at the federal level remains intact and committed to serving the people, even as he added that the people's choice must be accepted.