Gadek win no guarantee of BN recapturing Alor Gajah, says Adly

 The Alor Gajah MP says state polls rarely predict parliamentary results.

Melaka PH chairman Adly Zahari claimed that voter dissatisfaction with BN in Gadek was ‘quite high’ because its representatives were frequently changed.

HANG TUAH JAYA:

Alor Gajah MP Adly Zahari has downplayed Melaka Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh’s suggestion that a victory in Gadek in the Nov 14 state election could pave the way for the coalition to reclaim the parliamentary seat.

Adly, who is also Melaka Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, said state and general elections had different dynamics, particularly in terms of voter turnout.

“The issues are different, and the people who come out to vote are different. Sometimes we lose Gadek in a state election but win the parliamentary seat (Alor Gajah) in a general election,” he told FMT.

He pointed out that PH had lost Gadek to BN in the 2021 Melaka state election but secured more votes in the constituency for Alor Gajah during the 2022 general election, which saw a four-cornered contest at the time.

Adly also claimed that voter dissatisfaction with BN in Gadek was “quite high” because its representatives were frequently changed.

“BN has a tendency to use Gadek as part of its political negotiations. Perhaps the people there are uncomfortable with that,” he said.

He said voters wanted an elected representative who could serve all communities in the constituency, adding that good representatives should be retained rather than frequently replaced.

“PH has fielded a fairly young candidate in Gadek, and we do have a chance,” Adly added.

Gadek, a Malay-majority mixed constituency in the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat, has seen several changes in representation. It was represented by Umno’s Abdul Ghafar Atan in 2004 and 2008, before MIC’s M S Mahadevan took over in 2013.

DAP’s G Saminathan took the seat in 2018, but MIC’s VP Shanmugam won it back for BN in 2021.

However, BN has fielded a different candidate this time, with MIC’s S Nadarajah replacing Shanmugam.

Nadarajah is facing a four-cornered contest on Nov 14 against PH’s K Jegasilan, Bersama’s B Laveen and Putra’s Laila Norinda Maon. - FMT