Mahkota By-election: DAP Retains Status as Leading Party for Chinese Malaysians

Barisan Nasional (BN) won a September by-election in Johor despite initial fears that it might suffer a boycott by Chinese and Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters. The victory was due largely to the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP’s) efforts in rallying the Chinese population in the constituency. This will continue to shape cooperation between PH and BN as Malaysia heads into the next general election.

In the 28 September poll in the Johor state seat of Mahkota, BN candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) triumphed with 79.2 per cent of the votes. Syed Hussien’s rival, Haizan Jaafar of Perikatan Nasional (PN), obtained only 7,332 votes. BN’s 27,941 votes almost equalled the combined votes obtained by BN and PH candidates at the state elections in March 2022.

BN and PH were rivals then, but after the November 2022 general elections, the two coalitions formed the federal unity government. The Johor government, however, continued to be exclusively controlled by BN. PH’s status as the state opposition led to doubts over its ability to mobilise its supporters to back BN in Mahkota.

Surprisingly, BN won in all polling districts, including in Chinese-majority areas. This can be largely attributed to the efforts by DAP, a component party of PH. The party’s role in the campaign was crucial as the Kluang federal ward, which Mahkota is part of, has been a DAP stronghold since 2013. The success in mobilising its supporters means the DAP retains its status as the leading party for Chinese Malaysians.

At BN’s final campaign rally, Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi asked Kluang Member of Parliament, Wong Shu Qi, to join him on stage to spontaneously interpret his speech into Mandarin. The rally was hosted by DAP and most of the attendees were from the Chinese community. Onn Hafiz’s move symbolically reaffirmed DAP’s leadership status among the Chinese community.

Interpreting Onn Hafiz’s speech was probably DAP’s easiest task throughout the campaign. The by-election was held against the backdrop of a public spat between its veteran MP Teresa Kok and UMNO Youth Chief, Dr Akmal Saleh, over the government’s eventually aborted plan to force non-Muslim-owned businesses that serve halal food to apply for halal certification. Intensifying internal competition between Malay-Muslim parties (UMNO versus Parti Amanah Negara) in the federal unity government also led to concerns that PH supporters from the community would boycott the by-election. These two issues made DAP’s role even more crucial to ensure its voters’ support for the BN candidate.

DAP may have delivered in Mahkota but the strongest competition for the party to maintain its status among the Chinese community also happens to be in Johor.

DAP machinery had to counter a digital campaign circulated over WhatsApp urging Chinese voters to boycott the election following Akmal’s remarks against Kok. 

At the start of the campaign, DAP had to deal with the lack of awareness among Chinese voters on the by-election. Various reports also suggested that about half of the Mahkota voters reside outside the constituency, including in Singapore. At the final campaign rally, MP Wong made a passionate plea to party supporters to encourage those who have not returned to come back and vote. Two days earlier, Onn Hafiz announced that the two land checkpoints in Johor would be fully staffed to minimise congestion to encourage voters residing in Singapore to return to vote.

At the final count, only 53.8 per cent of Mahkota voters cast their ballots, lower than the 2022 state elections turnout rate of 57.3 per cent when international borders were closed. However, the margin of victory and BN’s success in Chinese neighbourhoods have overshadowed the discussions on low turnout. Johor DAP Chairman Liew Chin Tong was quick to declare that the PH-BN partnership should be maintained at the next general elections. He argued that PH’s votes are transferable to BN. This sentiment was also shared by a Johor UMNO veteran and State Assembly Speaker Puad Zarkashi, who said the Mahkota by-election may lead to a more serious PH-BN cooperation. Although not everyone in UMNO is happy to partner with DAP, the outcome of the Mahkota by-election has further strengthened DAP’s role in the unity government.

DAP’s success in positioning the party as the legitimate Chinese representative has been in the making since 2008. At that year’s general elections, DAP ousted BN’s Gerakan, a Chinese-based party in the Penang state government. Many prominent leaders from the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), BN’s main Chinese partner, also lost their seats. The decline of MCA continued after the 2008 general elections, and today, the party is represented by only two MPs in the Johor constituencies of Ayer Hitam and Tanjung Piai. Following the November 2022 general elections, the unity government was formed with BN, and DAP MPs were made ministers while the two MCA MPs remained as backbenchers.

DAP may have delivered in Mahkota but the strongest competition for the party to maintain its status among the Chinese community also happens to be in Johor. In the State Assembly, DAP and PH continue to function as the official opposition, while two MCA assemblymen are members of the State Executive Council. Meanwhile, Ayer Hitam MP Wee Ka Siong and DAP Secretary-General and Minister of Transport Anthony Loke have often engaged in public disagreements over matters related to the ministry. MCA president Wee, who led the ministry from 2020 to 2022 following the collapse of the 2018 PH administration, has positioned himself as Loke’s biggest critic. MCA, despite being a shadow of its former self, will continue to represent the PH-BN coalition in Tanjung Piai and Ayer Hitam. UMNO has also been supportive of MCA’s role in Mahkota —  a signal to DAP that UMNO’s first Chinese partner is still in play.

The results in Mahkota may have allowed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who described the victory as extraordinary, to focus on the unity government’s agenda and not be too distracted by PN. BN started the current parliamentary term with by-election defeats. But the success in Mahkota, which came just over a month after a victorious Nenggiri by-election in Kelantan, is seen as an indication that the coalition has managed to stop PN’s momentum.

Beneath the euphoria, the competition and challenge to DAP’s role as the representative of the Chinese community in the government will continue and likely shape PH-BN cooperation at the next general elections.

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