PETALING JAYA: DAP has faced an unprecedented voter swing in the 17th Sabah state election, with its support plummeting from 78% in the previous election to 27%, indicating that DAP is grappling with broader national-level political problems beyond local issues.

“When the swing is so drastic, it reflects a major shift in overall sentiment within the Chinese community,’’ said Khairy Jamaluddin in the latest “Keluar Sekejap” podcast session.

The former youth chief of Umno and a former Health Minister said that it remains uncertain whether this sentiment will extend to Peninsular Malaysia, but the current political atmosphere points in that direction, citing data provided by former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming.

According to Ong’s calculations, based on voter support in six Chinese-majority constituencies previously held by DAP, the swing was substantial.

“The original 78% support has dropped to 27%, and this mainly happened in Chinese-majority constituencies.

“ In other words, 51% of voters shifted from supporting DAP to supporting Warisan,” he said.

Over the past three years, DAP has had to confront the realities of governing, resulting in significant political compromises — compromises that stand in stark contrast to the party’s earlier image of being “pure, firm, and even somewhat morally untarnished,” said Khairy.

“The second point is, when you stand on a very high moral ground, the fall becomes more painful and more enduring,” he said.

Khairy also pointed out that part of the backlash stems from what he described as a change in DAP’s attitude after having power.

“As Ong Kian Ming said, power can breed complacency and arrogance,” he said.

DAP suffered a crushing defeat in the recently concluded Sabah state election, losing all eight state seats the rocket contested.