Melaka polls an election of clear margins

The Melaka state election yesterday was one of clear margins with all 28 assemblymen elected with vote majorities in the thousands, even in seats where closer contests were expected.

Voters in Malay-majority seats voted overwhelmingly for Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional while DAP comfortably defended its four seats, including Ayer Keroh where Chinese and Malay voters comprise 46% and 44% of the electorate, respectively.

For BN, 10 of the 20 seats it successfully defended yesterday were won by less than 1,000 votes in the 2021 state polls.

The starkest difference was in Serkam, where BN’s Azman Abdullah was elected with a 12,689-vote majority in a straight fight with PH, compared with the 79-vote majority obtained by his predecessor Zaidi Attan in 2021, in a three-cornered clash with PN and PH.

Melaka BN chief Ab Rauf Yusoh also enjoyed a much more comfortable victory in Tanjung Bidara, being elected to a second term with a majority of 8,615 votes.

Rauf was first elected Tanjung Bidara assemblyman in 2021 by a slim majority of 364 votes, when his closest contender was Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin of Bersatu, then contesting as a PN candidate.

The largest victory was in Sungai Udang where BN’s Rais Yasin won with a majority of 16,214 votes, compared with the 530 vote-margin PN had obtained in 2021.

On the other hand, the slimmest victory margin in the entire state election was in Machap Jaya, where MCA’s Ngwe Hee Sem was reelected with a 2,236-vote majority, defeating PKR’s Ginie Lim, who held the seat for one term from 2018, but was dropped in the 2021 state polls.

Despite its Pakatan Harapan allies being wiped out, DAP convincingly defended its Chinese-majority seats of Kota Laksamana, Kesidang and Bandar Hilir with vote-majorities of 9,424, 9,352 and 7,857, respectively.

However, DAP experienced a reduction in vote-majorities in Kota Laksamana and Kesidang, where it won by 11,494 and 10,237 votes, respectively, in 2021.

In Bandar Hilir, DAP’s Leng Chau Yen increased her margin slightly from 7,778 previously.

While the overall results appear racially polarised, the outcome in Ayer Keroh may have been the only seat to buck that trend.

DAP’s Kerk Chee Yee was elected to a third term with a majority of 5,604 votes, nearly equal to his 2021 margin, in a seat that was initially expected to be more closely contested given the electorate’s racial makeup.

The Chinese comprise 47.6% of voters there, followed by the Malays (42.4%) and Indians (8.3%).

The breakdown of Kerk’s support by ethnicity remains to be seen, as the results may have also been influenced by the voter turnout of 67.5% in Ayer Keroh, lower than the statewide average of 71.7%.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.