KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Barisan Nasional’s (BN) twin wins in Merlimau and Kerdau last night were the result of Malays uniting under Umno, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali has said.
He said Malays had tired of PAS’s co-operation with DAP as well as opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s “political games” and PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s “confusing” statements on Islam.
“Malay voters have returned . . . to Umno,” the Pasir Mas MP said in a statement yesterday.
The former Umno man remains close to the party despite contesting as an independent during the last general election.
More than half the members in Perkasa — a controversial Malay rights group that counts former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a patron — are current Umno members.
Ibrahim (picture) also said that BN’s convincing wins in Merlimau and Kerdau meant that Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) dream to seize Putrajaya would remain a “fantasy”.
“The worst is over for BN,” he said.
The question now was how many seats BN could win back from the opposition and if it was capable of retaking PR-controlled states Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan, Ibrahim added.
BN retained both Merlimau and Kerdau state seats yesterday with a majority of 3,643 and 2,724 votes respectively.
The ruling coalition has won the last five by-elections, after successfully defending Galas, Batu Sapi and Tenang before this.
BN leaders have attributed the voter swing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s championing of the 1 Malaysia concept and his ambitious transformation plans. - Malaysian Insider
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.