Split votes could give DAP the heartache

The trend of Penang voters opting for the BN in the state and the opposition at the federal level once again looks set to present DAP with a major heartache in its attempts to gain inroads in the island.

The party is at its wits end as to why the phenomenon occurs, especially prevalent among the middle-class Chinese and certain Indian voters.

A study into the last three general elections revealed that Penang DAP failed to capture more than one state seat in three successive general elections despite winning between three and four parliament constituencies due to such split voters.

For example in three of the four parliament seats DAP won in 2004 - Tanjung, Bukit Gelugor and Bukit Mertajam - the party failed to pick up even one of the 12 state seats - all these went to either Gerakan or MCA.

The only exception is Bagan, where DAP won one of the three state seats under that parliamentary constituency.

Penang, especially the island, has a sizeable number of these voters who would cast one vote to BN, mainly for state seats, and another the opposition parties such as DAP, mainly for parliament seats.

It is estimated that these voters make up about 15 percent, or more than 100,000, of the over 700,000 or more registered voters in this island state.

How this split-voting trend came about and took a firm footing in Penang remains a mystery.

Political observer, Malaysian Voters Union coordinator BK Ong suggested that BN component parties, MCA and Gerakan, were the likely culprits to have instigated the trend to safeguard their own political survival.

"I have reports from many voters that during elections, MCA and Gerakan candidates and campaigners incite them to vote for them at state level and cast their ballots for the opposition at parliamentary level.

"The voters were told they were being fair and just by splitting their votes for both BN and opposition parties.

"Although this is unethical and undemocratic, it is effective because voters tend to buy the idea and conform to their request," he said.

The voters obviously thought they were getting the best of both worlds by voting to keep BN at state level and sending the opposition candidates to Parliament.

Why they do it

A check by Malaysiakini revealed that several voters adopted this voting style due to a mixture of reasons.

Factory supervisor Kah Mah Mi, 42, said that she had always voted BN for state seats and DAP for parliament seats because "we need the government party (BN) to carry out development projects in the state while the opposition, DAP can 'shout' in the Parliament."

Several Kah's friends concurred with her.

To them, a general election is a democratic process to renew BN’s mandate to govern the state and decide the number of opposition members in the Parliament to provide the necessary check and balance.

Electrical technician M Subramaniam, 45, who had split his votes in the past four elections, said he was influenced by his friends.

"My friends told me that this is the best way to safeguard our interests," he told Malaysiakini.

A Nandakumar, 38, said he voted in similar way in 1999 and 2004 merely for the ‘fun’ of it.

"Unlike now, I was unaware then about our electoral rights and democratic process to choose a government," he said.

Inspired by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) movement, both Subramaniam and Nandakumar now say that, like many other Indians in Penang, they would cast both their state and federal ballots for the DAP.

Although many Indians have decided to cast their ballots for the DAP, PKR and even PAS in Penang, many split-voting Chinese are expected to maintain this trend.

This could disrupt DAP's plans to increase its state seat stake in the Penang legislative assembly.

The party is contesting seven federal and 19 state seats in pre-dominantly Chinese constituencies.

Time running out for DAP

Political analysis Dr Bridget Welsh, who was in Penang recently to follow the campaign trail, said that although Penang DAP and its partners such as PKR would fare better this time than the last three general elections, the parties would suffer unexpected setbacks in several state duels due to this split-voting.

"The parties may not even be able to deny BN a two-thirds majority at the state legislature due to these voters," said the assistant professor in Southeast Asian studies at John Hopkins University-SAIS in Washington DC.

Sensing that split-voting would damage its chances to regain its footing, let alone lost glory, in Penang, the DAP has called on these voters not to split their votes but rather cast both their ballots to the party.

State DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow explained to the voters that it was crucial for them to deny the ruling party the two-thirds majority at both federal and state legislatures in view of the delineation exercise of constituency boundaries due to take place in 2010.

He warned voters that if BN was given a two-thirds majority this time at both federal and state levels, the delineation would make it difficult for DAP and its allies to maintain a strong opposition front to check and balance the ruling party in long run.

"It's imperative that voters do not split their votes to safeguard democracy in this country," he said.