Ayer Keroh (Oct 31): Two-term incumbent Kerk Chee Yee of Pakatan Harapan (PH) is set for a four-cornered battle to defend his Ayer Keroh (N.16) state seat in the upcoming Melaka state election.
Kerk, a former Melaka state legislative assembly deputy speaker, will be facing a familiar opponent in Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate and Gerakan vice-president Datuk Michael Gan Peng Lam, who also contested the seat during the 15th Melaka state election in 2021.
The race also features first-time candidates in Bersama’s Muhammad Muhaimin Lau Abdullah and Bersatu’s Mohammad Hamnaim Mohamad.
Bersatu’s entry into the fray highlights internal divisions within PN. By fielding candidates independently in eight state seats, the party has set up an awkward clash where its candidates directly challenge the coalition's broader political strategy.
PH has maintained a firm grip on Ayer Keroh for four consecutive terms, winning the constituency in 2008 after wresting it from its traditional stronghold under the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).
During the previous 2021 state polls, Kerk successfully defended the seat with 9,459 votes, securing a comfortable majority of 5,624 votes against MCA runner-up Yong Fun Juan.
For the upcoming polls, however, MCA will not be contesting in Ayer Keroh following seat negotiations within the Barisan Nasional (BN) and PN framework, ceding the seat to its coalition ally Gerakan.
Geographically, Ayer Keroh is one of four state constituencies within the Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary district, which PH has held for three straight general elections.
Ayer Keroh is a Chinese-majority constituency, with the community accounting for 49.16% of the electorate, followed by Malays at 41.72%, Indians at 8.12% and others at 1.01%.
Ayer Keroh not a safe seat for PH, says Kerk
Bersama’s entry and Bersatu’s last-minute participation in an already crowded race for Ayer Keroh pose a distinct threat to PH and DAP, according to Kerk.
Speaking to The Edge after the nominations, he said that the dynamics on the ground could test the coalition’s stronghold. He expects a more subdued voter turnout, as was the case in recent state polls.
“Voter turnouts were lower in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state polls than in the general elections, and we expect the same trend to continue, especially with young Malaccans working out of state and abroad,” Kerk said.
He said PH risks losing “middle-fencer” votes to Bersama even though the latter’s leaders have denied that its support base is mainly from PH, but Kerk is sceptical given its leadership’s historical ties with the coalition.
“Even though Bersama has denied that their supporters are not mainly from PH...[given] its party leadership stemming from PH roots, this will be a tough fight for us,” he noted.
PN candidate Datuk Michael Gan Peng Lan similarly echoed that the multi-cornered contest could shift fence-sitters, saying: “Maybe there will be some educated voters from the other side...they may switch their support over here because they hear a lot of information.” He stressed that PN relies on action rather than campaign claims.
On Bersatu’s inclusion in the fight for Ayer Keroh, Gan said he leaves strategic decisions to party leaders. He however raised the issue of PN’s recent administrative hurdles, criticising moves made by the regulator ahead of statutory deadlines. The Registrar of Societies deregistered the coalition on Oct 20 following an unsatisfactory response to a show-cause notice issued regarding the exclusion of Bersatu from a supreme council meeting.
“PN was suspended and deregistered just 28 days before the deadline. What is the intention, to stop PN from taking part in this election?” Gan questioned.
He added: “This is something that the rakyat must know...what PN is going through is something that shouldn’t have happened.”
Though the matter is still not resolved, the Kuala Lumpur High Court stayed the registration on Oct 22, allowing PN to contest the Nov 14 Melaka election.