Do more, Zafrul tells PH-BN as Malays seen solidly behind PN ahead of polls

Umno Supreme Council member Tengku Zafrul Aziz has urged Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) to double their efforts to woo Malay support, as a new survey shows the two coalitions are still not popular among Malay voters just two days before the polls.

Zafrul, who was not fielded by Umno in Selangor despite earlier speculation of him standing as a candidate, said voters must be told about the importance of cooperation between the parties.

He said Malay voters should be told that the PH-BN alliance was due to the decree by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as well as for the sake of stability.

"The result (of this cooperation) can be seen in the first quarter of this year; Malaysia's economic growth is quite strong, with an increase of 5.6%, while investments also rose by 60%," Zafrul was quoted as saying in Johor by Bernama.

The results of a survey released by pollster Ilham Centre showed that Perikatan Nasional (PN) was still far ahead of PH-BN in the quest for Malay support, seen as critical for the ruling alliance to retain power in Selangor, which has become the focus of the six-state polls.

It found that only 24% of Malay respondents have positive opinions about Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has been active on ceramah circuits in Selangor and Kedah.

BN, represented solely by Umno candidates, was thrashed by PN in the general election last year in their traditional Malay-majority strongholds.

One analyst, meanwhile, estimated that only 11% of Malay voters had supported PH.