By Hafidz Baharom
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 ― The DAP will make a last-ditch effort to register more new voters in what it calls an effort to overcome the slim advantage in popular votes Barisan Nasional (BN) won over Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties in Election 2008.
BN secured 4.08 million votes in 2008 compared to PR’s 3.79 million ― a difference of fewer than 290,000 votes ― and the federal opposition hopes new voters in the next election can help tilt the balance towards the PR parties of DAP, PAS and PKR.
DAP said the nationwide voter registration campaign will start before September 15, on the expectation that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will call for the general election in January.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke told a press conference here today that the Election Commission (EC) had verified that there were still 3.3 million unregistered voters.
“This forms a very substantial 20.5 per cent of the total number of 16.2 million eligible voters,” he said.
“Hence, it is absolutely clear that newly registered voters will make a definitive difference in the next general election, as the number of unregistered votes far outnumber the margin between the two coalitions,” Loke said.
MORE TO COME