NS Election: Winner Hard to Predict, BN-PN Understanding Shifts Political Landscape – Observers

KUALA LUMPUR: Political observers describe the landscape of the Negeri Sembilan State Election (PRN) as very difficult to predict.

This follows the changing political dynamics that have seen an understanding between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to face Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Senior Lecturer at the Department of Malaysian Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI), Dr Norhafiza Mohd Hed, said this situation makes the contest in the state unique compared to previous state elections.

She said the seat distribution which has seen multi-cornered contests as well as voter demographics, whether in mixed or Malay-majority areas, demands a more in-depth analysis.

“It is difficult for us to predict who will win in this state election because it is very close and also if we look at the seat distribution, some are two-cornered, some are three-cornered, some are five-cornered, so it is indeed quite difficult,” she said when interviewed on BERNAMA TV today.

Norhafiza said PH’s campaign approach, which is seen as calmer, is a strategy to reduce political pressure, but current issues still play an important role in shaping voter considerations.

“If election issues are played up on social media, they will become public discussion because we are in the social media era. Everyone reads the media, especially Gen Z and so on.

“So they will focus on issues that are played up on social media,” she said.

Strategies to gain votes, political advantages

Meanwhile, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Dr Muhamad Fuad Abdul Karim, opined that the BN-PN understanding is more driven by strategies to gain votes and political advantages rather than ideological similarity.

He said the flexibility of political coalitions is like market dynamics that constantly renew their offering strategies according to current voter demands.

“That is why in politics, strategy is more important than ideology and that is why we see in politics, the recipe will change from one time to another,” he said.

Regarding the issue of leadership and candidate personality in Negeri Sembilan, Muhamad Fuad said the perception of voters in the state is more focused on party identity rather than individual factors.

“Who will be the Menteri Besar, I think in Negeri Sembilan it is not an issue because in Negeri Sembilan, identity politics is stronger compared to performance politics.

“So I see that the party’s name is more important compared to who will be the Menteri Besar. Unlike in Johor, Johor in my view is more about performance politics,” he said.

He said the success of any offer or manifesto depends on the ability of political parties to provide realistic solutions for the people’s livelihood, particularly in offering quality job opportunities for the youth.

A total of 889,490 voters are eligible to vote in this state election, comprising 867,151 ordinary voters, 16,884 military personnel and spouses, and 5,455 police personnel.

Berita Harian