Report: BN’s Malay support and PAS could hinder Pakatan’s Putrajaya wish

(The Sun Daily) – Barisan Nasional’s (BN) strong influence in Malay-majority constituencies coupled with the PAS factor could spell doom for Pakatan Harapan’s ambition to form the federal government in the 14th General Election (GE14), social media research firm Politweet said.

In its report on election forecast in Peninsular Malaysia, the firm added Pakatan Harapan (PH) components Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) might suffer setbacks if voters’ sentiment remained as the previous elections.

The report said PPBM, which is contesting in predominantly BN traditional seats, would face a challenge in a straight fight against the ruling coalition.

In its prediction based on 2017 1st Quarter electoral roll, the report said 62% of voters in seats PPBM will contest consisted of BN supporters, while only 27% were leaning towards the opposition.

The remaining 11% were fence sitters.

“Thirty-five of the 52 seats (allocated to PPBM) were contested by PAS in GE13, which means PPBM will face an even greater challenge in a three-cornered fight with PAS,” the report added.

The report said while 50% of voters in Amanah’s seats comprised opposition supporters, it would not guarantee a safe passage for the PAS’ splinter party in GE14.

“However, 26 of the 27 seats were contested by PAS in GE13, which means this large share of voters will be split between both opposition parties.

“If voter sentiment in GE14 remains the same as GE13, we can expect Amanah and PPBM to win a few seats only,” it added.