MP SPEAKS | The recent Malacca state election results, where the BN won 21 out of 28 state seats (75 percent), was a disappointing outcome to many Pakatan Harapan supporters and even to some neutral observers who did not want to see the return of a dominant BN/Umno in the Malaysian political landscape.

The outcome was not exactly unexpected, given the unique circumstances of this state election – the circumstances surrounding the sudden collapse of the state government, the low turnout rate, the inability to hold ceramah sessions, the low public interest in the campaign and fears surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, there are some silver linings for Pakatan Harapan, which can be used as lessons to build the momentum for the more important electoral battle, which is the 15th General Election.

Firstly, the return of BN/Umno’s electoral dominance is widely exaggerated. While BN may have won 21 out of 28 state seats, its vote share barely changed. Most of the initial analysis showed that BN’s vote share only increased marginally, by one percent at most.

One analysis by Malaysiakini showed that BN’s vote share increased by only 0.6 percent...