DAP Perak has rejected claims that the party suffered a decline in public support during the Johor state election, insisting that official results show it actually secured more votes despite losing four State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats.
In a Facebook statement on Monday, the party said DAP recorded an additional 66,823 votes across the 10 seats it contested in Johor, increasing its total vote count by 41.8 per cent from 159,769 votes in the 2022 election to 226,592 votes this year.
“DAP did not lose voters in Johor. We gained more support. We lost because our opponents succeeded in uniting their support more effectively,” the party said.
DAP Perak noted that the same pattern was seen in the four seats it failed to retain — Jementah, Tangkak, Johor Jaya and Perling — where both the number of votes and vote share for DAP increased compared with the previous state election.
According to the party, DAP’s combined vote total in those four constituencies rose from 55,392 votes in 2022 to 82,997 votes this year, while its vote share increased from 42.07 per cent to 44.36 per cent.
However, Barisan Nasional (BN) recorded an even stronger surge, with its combined votes jumping from 49,037 to 95,971, while its vote share climbed from 37.24 per cent to 51.29 per cent.
“DAP did not lose because support disappeared. The key factor is that BN’s support grew by a much larger margin,” the statement said.
The party argued that the results reflected a significant decline in support for third-party blocs, particularly Perikatan Nasional (PN), with many of those votes appearing to have shifted to BN.
Although it acknowledged that individual voting behaviour could not be determined with certainty, DAP said the overall constituency-level voting pattern suggested BN had absorbed much of the support previously held by PN and PAS supporters.
The party described the trend as resembling the return of the former Muafakat Nasional (MN) model under a new political alignment, with UMNO providing the candidates, campaign machinery and state government platform, while PAS and PN supporters contributed the additional votes needed to defeat Pakatan Harapan (PH) in marginal constituencies.
At the same time, DAP acknowledged that both the party and PH must reassess several areas, including policy direction, leadership, campaign messaging, election strategy and candidate selection.
“Facts must come before emotions. The numbers do not show that DAP’s support declined. They show our support increased, but it was overtaken by an even larger consolidation of support behind BN,” the party said.
DAP Perak added that frustration following electoral defeat is understandable, as members and supporters had invested considerable time, effort and trust in the campaign.
The party also warned that any constituency where support falls below the 50 per cent mark should now be regarded as vulnerable, noting that Stulang was retained by a narrow majority of just 623 votes.
Looking ahead, DAP said it must focus on retaining its existing support base, encouraging non-voters to turn out, and expanding its appeal among Malay voters, multi-ethnic communities, young voters and working families.
The party concluded that the growing political realignment centred on greater Malay unity—whether formal or informal—represents the biggest long-term structural challenge facing Pakatan Harapan.
“DAP did not lose support in Johor. We gained more support. We lost four seats because BN gained an even larger increase in votes, largely from the consolidation of voters who had previously supported PN, PAS and other alternative parties. That is not an excuse, but a factual starting point for understanding what happened, correcting our weaknesses and preparing for the next challenge,” it said.
