State MCA secretary Yeoh Chin Kah said this was not just based on former prime minister Najib Razak’s visit here last week, but also on recent voting trends.

Last Friday, Najib was received by large crowds on a visit to Penang, where he gave a speech at the 2nd Penang International Business and Investment Summit.

Watch the video here.

There was a show of support from the Chinese community when he arrived at the Penang International Airport as well as at several locations on the island and mainland during his two-day visit.

“You must understand the Chinese attitude. They are mostly silent. You cannot say that the turnout for Najib’s event alone is an indicator of support,” Yeoh said.

“There is one large section of Chinese voters who are conservative and silent. These voters will only reveal their true feelings at the ballot box.”

He said that there had been a significant swing of votes to BN during the recent Johor, Melaka and Sarawak state elections.

In Johor, voters aged 18 to 21 voted for BN, while those aged 30 to 40 supported Pakatan Harapan (PH).

“Those in the 30-40 age group went for PH, likely because they were influenced by the Bersih rallies over the years.

“However, the 18-21 group has a clean slate with no influence. As a result, they picked BN. In Penang, we feel the youth will help swing the votes to BN,” he said.