YOURSAY | ‘You don't appease those who didn't vote nor supported you but let down those who did.’

Shocker! Harapan enters Tg Piai by-election with only 35pct popularity

Wira: Pakatan Harapan, if you don't pull up your socks, you will definitely be a one-term government.

These are big don’ts:

1. You don't appease those who didn't vote nor supported you but let down those who did. This is one sure way to failure as a political party.

2. It's better to do the right things and lose the next election than to do the wrong things and yet lose GE15.

3. You guys, as a coalition, collectively made some solemn promises to voters. We can understand some items on the manifesto, given our financial situation, may take some time to fulfil. However, we cannot understand why some items, like the recognition of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) which does not require money, also take so much time.

You have already wasted one year and you don't have much time left to do what is right.

Jeez: Indeed, Harapan has its priorities and strategy all wrong. Firstly, it is to retain the non-Malay votes and see how to increase the Malay votes - not the other way around.

Bersatu is so blinded by its racist traits that they cannot distinguish the woods from the trees. Let a crushing Tanjung Piai by-election defeat be a telling rejection of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Bersatu.

Undecided: If the survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center is accurate, non-Malay confidence in Harapan has plummeted as expected.

Malay support is holding at 30 percent because they are less unhappy with the ‘ketuanan’ rhetoric and the Bersatu’s apparent support of controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik.

There is a need for Harapan to be united in their quest for reforms and their rhetoric if they want to win back the support of non-Malays.

Milshah: Malays are the main determinant on who wins in any election simply because they are the majority. No matter how you spin it, that's a fact. So how can you expect Harapan to turn away from them?

Harapan just can't ignore them even if they wanted to. But then Malaysiakini readers will say Harapan will lose the next GE due to non-Malays and not the Malays.

Anonymous_1552465538: So true but then again, if I had to choose between Harapan and BN, there is no way I'm going back to the dark ages.

I am 100 percent Malay, and I really hope the rest of the Malays will wake up that no matter how bad Harapan may be, it is definitely a better alternative to those lying and cheating band of thieves known as PAS/Umno.

If they become the government, it is game over. I hope MACC quickly puts all those crooks behind bars.

Unspin: When faced with this kind of statistics, the knee-jerk reaction of Bersatu is to organise a Malay Dignity Congress to gain Malay support.

If Malays are only concerned about "dignity" and "ketuanan Melayu" (Malay supremacy), BN would not have lost in the last election.

The main reason why BN lost was due to massive corruption and the high cost of living and a lot of Malays were unhappy with that.

If Bersatu wants to gain back Malay support, they are best advised to up their game. Currently, none of their ministers is performing.

In most people's books, they scored a "D" or an "F" (or a "G" for Education Minister Maszlee Malik, if there is such a thing).

Wake Up: Why should Harapan be surprised by the Merdeka Center survey? Have they not been reading social media? Even diehard supporters are criticising them.

Tolerating hate speeches by Umno and PAS is perhaps the biggest reason why they are losing support.

Even Ahok (former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama), at the height of his popularity as governor of Jakarta, could not survive hate speeches thrown at him, no matter how weak the accusation.

Fake news that stirs up emotions will take on a life of its own when it is not checked.

Not only they will lose Malay support this round, but they will lose also non-Malays support because of their fumbling in dealing with issues important to the other races.

Oxymoronictendencies: Yes, this is hardly surprising. The Harapan government under Mahathir is little different from BN. And it has failed to deliver to the expectations of the electorate or their manifesto.

The only thing that is in their favour is that reverting to BN is a scarier thought. But this is a by-election, so don’t expect Harapan to win.

Mind you, BN may be running an MCA candidate and that is not a very smart move.

Sarawakian: All those negative comments about Harapan here comes from the non-Malays, I would presume. Actually, the most important thing about this Merdeka Center survey is that Malay support has been maintained at 30 percent.

Come GE15, if Malay votes can be maintained at 30 percent, Harapan will still win with additional support from Sabah and Sarawak, even if Tanjung Piai is lost at this time.

For all the complaints, non-Malays will still support Harapan in GE15 as the alternative is far worse.

Anonymous9283748912: That’s assuming the non-Malays will come out to vote. Given the situation, they may not.

Yes, they will not vote for PAS/Umno but most likely, they will stay at home on polling day.

The Third Man: There are many doomsayers against Harapan and the reason is the inability of Mahathir to demonstrate any significant leadership and mindset change to push forth with reforms towards a New Malaysia.

So far, he seems trapped in a yesteryear mindset with his dubious words and actions. The succession and sex video issues come to mind as both have been left in the air with excuses. This, in turn, creates uncertainties and allows the opposition to use it against Harapan.

Ferdtan: This is why there needs to be a change in the leadership by removing Mahathir. Harapan needs a new impetus to excite voters of all races.

The prime minister has failed on all accounts. Whatever doubts you may have of PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim, we should give him a chance.

If Anwar is no good then we can replace him. Harapan needs fresh ideas. We certainly cannot get it from a recalcitrant 94-year-old man.

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