Former premier Najib Abdul Razak did not play a part in BN winning the Cameron Highlands by-election, said Deputy Human Resource Minister Mahfuz Omar.
Instead, it was PAS which provided the win for BN candidate Ramli Mohd Nor, he added.
“Najib contributed nothing in Cameron. It was PAS which gave votes (to BN).
“PAS garnered about 3,600 votes (in GE14), and (in Cameron) about 1,700 (PAS supporters) voted for BN.
“Over 1,800 PAS supporters did not go out to vote because they don't agree with the PAS-Umno cooperation," the Amanah vice-president told a press conference after attending a ministry function at the Dorsett Hotel in Putrajaya today.
Mahfuz pointed out that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had once likened working with Umno to bearing baggage.
“But he said it last time. Now 1,700 PAS supporters have voted for BN.
“This means BN's win is not due to Najib's popularity, nor Umno's or BN's, but PAS’ votes," he said, further dubbing BN's win in the by-election last Saturday as status quo.
"For years, the seat had been won by either BN or Perikatan. The Cameron parliamentary seat used to be known as (Kuala) Lipis. Then, it was split into two - as Cameron Highlands, and Lipis.
"To me, BN's win is status quo, and it is not an indication that the people do not support Pakatan Harapan," he added.
Ramli defeated Harapan candidate M Manogaran with a majority of 3,283 votes in the recent by-election which saw PAS campaigning for BN.
On another matter, Mahfuz stressed that his ministry has initiated an investigation into a glove manufacturing factory in Sepang, which did not pay its 2,000 Nepalese workers three months' worth of salary.
"I was made to understand that the Labour Department has been ordered to start a probe.
"Seventeen investigation papers have been opened against the employer, encompassing various offences, such as delaying salary payments, delaying payment of overtime pay, as well as illegitimate cutting of salaries," he said.
The Nepalese workers ended their three-day strike yesterday after the factory management promised to settle their outstanding salaries. - Mkini
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