Among the negative attacks was a claim that Syed Hussien had a criminal record, denied by police, and an allegation attempting to link Umno leader Puad Zarkashi to a possible spread of communism.

Universiti Sains Malaysia analyst Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said the focus on such attacks was evidently not appealing to the electorate, and Perikatan Nasional, particularly Bersatu, did not offer Mahkota voters anything substantial during the campaign.

“When you are focusing on negative campaigning against your opponent, it merely shows that you lack ideas,” he told FMT.

Independent analyst Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani said the party, by disparaging the character of its rivals, was essentially resorting to recycling Umno’s playbook from the 1990s.

“While Umno was expected to win, the landslide victory should serve as a wake-up call for Bersatu if it aims to improve its performance in the last general election. The party must offer more to the voters than just religious and race-baiting rhetoric,” he said.

Fauzi said PN appeared to have taken a more defensive stance, particularly after a statement by coalition partner PAS about the crackdown on Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH).

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan had expressed hope that GISBH’s business network would not be unfairly targeted amid the police investigation into allegations of forced labour and child sexual assault.

“PAS is being cited widely on social media as being critical of alleged over-zealousness by the police in unravelling the scandal; it’s as if PAS is siding with GISBH,” said Fauzi.

At yesterday’s by-election, Barisan Nasional’s Syed Hussien stormed to a landslide victory with a majority of 20,648 votes, about four times what the party achieved at the 2022 state assembly elections.

His sole rival, Bersatu’s Haizan Jaafar, garnered only 7,614 votes, slightly less than that obtained by his counterpart in 2022.