BN scores double victory in Galas, Batu Sapi

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

FINAL UPDATE Prime Minister Najib Razak is widely expected to attribute the double by-election victories the BN coalition on scored Thursday night to his 1Malaysia plan, but it is unlikely to gain traction with the majority of Malaysians fed up with his political doublespeak.

"I fail to see how 1Malaysia is involved in Galas and Batu Sapi. Basically, Umno has castrated MCA in the BN and it now has to hide behind an NGO to get votes. But it is a novelty and the people are going not for 1Malaysia per se but the gifts of canned milk, Milo and other stuff," PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"As for Linda, she is a PBS member. Although, she is popular in the Chinese areas, her strength came mainly from the Muslim electorate. We also wish to point out the high postal voters in Batu Sapi of around 1,600. The way postal votes are currently accounted for, it is like an immediate handicap for BN. As for Galas, did Najib win or did Ku Li win?"

Tian was referring to veteran Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh, whose supporters are bound to claim credit for him. Galas, a state assembly seat, is part of Ku Li's parliamentary constituency.

On Thursday, Umno's Abdul Aziz Yusof made it a double victory for BN by winning 5,324 votes versus the 3,744 PAS candidate Dr Dzulkefli Mohamad took. The winning margin came up to 1,190 votes..

What went wrong in Batu Sapi

In Batu Sapi, 54-year old Linda had an unassailable lead from early on. In the end, she won with 9,773 votes versus PKR's 3,414 and SAPP's 2,031.

Nik Aziz, Tian and Dr Dzulkefli - down but not out!

Her majority was a seemingly huge 6,359 votes because it is calculated by subtracting the next highest tally (PKR's 3,414) from her own.

In actual fact, Linda only obtained 64 percent of the total votes cast excluding spoilt ballots. Her late husband Edmund Chong, who died in a bike crash last month, had obtained 62 percent in 2008.

"In Batu Sapi, BN will certainly win in terms of votes, PKR-Pakatan Rakyat comes next, then SAPP. Time for SAPP to discuss with Pakatan for opposition unity," Tian had said..

The total voter turnout in Batu Sapi was a mere 61.47 percent or 15,774. PKR candidate Ansari Abdullah blamed the loss on the weak turnout and the BN's alleged use of bribes to keep voters loyal.

"From the beginning, we faced an uphill battle because party machinery is something very difficult to build and we have to really start now. We were also distracted because we had to fight Yong Teck Lee in addition to BN. This was unfortunate," a slightly downcast Ansari told Malaysia Chronicle.

Meanwhile, PKR number crunchers said preliminary indications showed that PKR-Pakatan had made inroads with the Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community. It was weakest in the Malay-Bumiputera areas that are traditionally loyal to BN.

"It is true Linda managed to win some Chinese-dominated areas but if you look at Saluran 3, you see a lot of young Sabahans voted for PKR. That means the professionals did come home, and those who did voted for the change Pakatan offered. As for the Bumi and Malay areas, these are still the tough nuts we have to crack but it doesn't mean it can't be done. We will have to work harder that's all," said Tian.

The Ku Li factor

In Galas, PAS supporters were badly disappointed at failing to retain the seat. The final voter turnout was 82.71 percent, higher than in the 2008 general election.

Mr Gua Musang - Ku Li

"In any election, there has to be a winner and a loser. Of course, there was rampant vote-buying and we will make the necessary protests. Yes, we are disappointed but we will continue to work harder," PAS election director for Galas Wan Rahim Wan Abdullah told Malaysia Chronicle.

As had been anticipated, PAS lost the Orang Asli votes. The Chinese voters were mixed, with those in Kampung Baru throwing their support behind BN, while those in Pulai backed Pakatan.

Ku Li, the election director for the BN in Galas, has certainly been working hard although his efforts may not be in the bombastic style that the Umno glitterati are accustomed to.

Galas residents have told Malaysia Chronicle that the Kelantan prince has been keeping tabs on the constituency since the day he found out that PAS assemblyman Chek Hsahim Sulaima had been diagnosed with colon cancer.

"He has been visiting in the past year. So I guess he may have called in a lot favors this round. Hopefully, he will use this win to negotiate for our oil royalty. Otherwise, we will be very disappointed in him," a resident told Malaysia Chronicle.