YOURSAY | “It may end up winning lesser than 10 seats.”

COMMENT | Johor more a bellwether for DAP than Anwar

Apanama is back: For DAP, it should reflect on what it has done as far as minorities' rights are concerned over the last three and a half years.

DAP voters, especially Chinese voters, are pragmatic. They will shift their votes based on what the party has done previously.

Let us explore the historical trend among Chinese voters. They abandoned both MCA and Gerakan when there was a viable alternative, namely the DAP.

Before Parti Bersama Malaysia was established, Chinese voters may not have had an alternative, so DAP took Chinese voters for granted and played the fearmongering game of the so-called “green wave”.

It will not work anymore. It is no longer just a rant.

Look at the Sabah election. Of course, many people will argue that Sabah and Johor are not the same. Go to the ground and see for yourself in Johor. How many Chinese are volunteering for Bersama? Word of mouth is spreading fast.

Moreover, today, the Federal Court will deliver its verdict on Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman's case.

He was acquitted by the Court of Appeal with a strong judgment. Most probably, the Federal Court will uphold the Court of Appeal's decision. It will be another boost for Muda.

Let us reflect on the seats won by DAP in the 2022 Johor state election. DAP won 10 seats and lost four. In this state election, DAP is contesting 17 seats, including defending the 10 it won in 2022. As the article above mentioned, Bersama is targeting five DAP seats.

The scenario for non-Malay voters, especially Chinese voters, is that they may either stay away from voting or cast protest votes even in seats not contested by Bersama.

DAP will not face a total wipeout in Johor, but it may end up with fewer than 10 seats.

That should be a good slap in DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke's face, since his "cool head" approach has backfired into a "hot slap".

Of course, DAP will remain in denial until it receives an even bigger slap in the 16th general election.

WhitePony9855: Non-Malays may be disappointed with Anwar Ibrahim's leadership and DAP's silence on many matters affecting non-Malay communities.

The fact that Anwar and PKR are seeking greater Malay support is understandable, but it should not come at the expense of non-Malays. If that is the case, then DAP appears to be a replica of MCA and MIC combined within a BN-led government.

Johor could become an indication of how disappointed non-Malays are with Pakatan Harapan's performance over the past three and a half years.

Although the situation in Johor cannot be compared with Sabah, where DAP was largely rejected because voters had a local alternative in Warisan, it will still be a major test of whether DAP can persuade non-Malay voters to come out and vote.

In Johor, Bersama could also emerge as a spoiler.

Milshah: "The upcoming Johor election will determine how the base is feeling about DAP." This statement is incomplete.

DAP must lose all the seats it currently holds, while Bersama must win those seats, not BN. Only then will it show that DAP supporters have shifted to a third force.

If Umno or MCA wins those seats instead, it makes no sense. Are DAP supporters trying to teach DAP a lesson by voting for Umno or MCA, parties that made no reform promises?

It is like a child scoring a D in Mathematics. You get angry and reward the child's twin brother, who scored an F, with a cookie. That is nonsense.

As I predicted, should DAP lose the Johor state election, every commentator and writer will blame DAP's failure to implement reforms. In reality, it could simply be due to the rise of the blue wave.

Malay voters may have shifted back to Umno, but some people will try to claim DAP lost because of them.

You may have a point if Bersama at least avoids losing its deposits. I am not even asking for it to win. However, if Umno, MCA or BN wins, then it reflects BN's strong support among Johoreans, not necessarily DAP's failure to implement reforms at the federal level.

Quigonbond: Reject DAP, you say? That means either you do not vote or you vote for BN or Perikatan Nasional. The parties that will benefit by default are BN or PN. How much do you think they care about non-Malays?

Bersama may look like a shiny new alternative on paper, but it is there to split votes when BN and PN are already trying to consolidate the Malay vote.

The immediate challenge, as it should always have been, is to consolidate as many non-Malay and moderate Malay votes as possible if we want to continue having moderate, progressive governance instead of becoming stuck in the rut of conservative extremism.

Those pushing for PSM, Bersama or Muda may not have thought this through clearly.

H2O: Accept Anwar, reject DAP. This has already been proven. The welfare and livelihoods of non-Malay communities are worse with DAP in a coalition government than without it.

Never mind its silence on corruption and alleged bullying by the majority in broad daylight, its weak and ineffective leaders today are practically useless to non-Malay communities.

Their presence and contribution within the Madani government are even more worrying.

Who knows what may have transpired behind closed doors between Anwar and DAP on behalf of their non-Malay supporters?

The results we see today are obvious. Anwar may have simply proceeded with his own agenda.

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