CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Retired senior cop Ramli Mohd Nor has made history by becoming the first orang asli to be elected as a Member of Parliament after winning the by-election here.
The result also means that Barisan Nasional has retained its stronghold.
Cheers and chants of “Hidup BN” (Long live Barisan Nasional) reverberated at the vote tallying centre following Ramli’s victory, a sweet success for Barisan after four back-to-back defeats in earlier by-elections.
Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the win was due to the choice of candidate as well as its cooperation with PAS.
“Our strategy was also different – we placed our machinery with voters, some for 10 days at selected areas.
“We will continue with this method in Semenyih (by-election) and other places,” he said.
“Our strategy was also different – we placed our machinery with voters, some for 10 days at selected areas.
“We will continue with this method in Semenyih (by-election) and other places,” he said.
Other factors behind the win, he added, included the early voters, gaining a majority of the support from policemen.
In reply to a question on the support from non-Malay voters, Mohamad said they saw an improvement.
“It’s not true that we fared badly with the non-Malay voters. For the voting stream and ballot boxes in Tanah Rata, we won a lot.
“Last time, we suffered huge losses there,” he said.
Ramli, 61, a Barisan Nasional direct member, defeated Pakatan Harapan’s M. Manogaran and two others by a majority of more than 3,000.
Official results, as announced at 8.30pm yesterday, showed Ramli polling a total of 12,038 votes followed by Manogaran’s 8,800 votes.
The two independent candidates, Wong Seng Yee and Sallehudin Ab Talib, polled 276 votes and 314 votes respectively.
Some 21,428 votes were tallied with 568 spoilt votes with a turnout rate of 68.8%.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong congratulated Ramli for the historic win and becoming “the very first orang asli MP in Malaysia”.
“I look forward to joining forces with Ramli to play an effective role in the system of checks and balances and to speak up on behalf of the multiracial communities,” Dr Wee said.
“I hope that the Pakatan government will pay more attention to public opinion and make an effort to fulfil its promises.
“Don’t shy away from major issues and don’t make endless U-turns.”
MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the result was in a way a referendum on Pakatan’s leadership.
“MCA will continue to be people-centric and an effective opposition in raising issues affecting the people, just like what Dr Wee has been doing in and out of Parliament,” he added.
The by-election was called after the Election Court found elements of corruption committed by Barisan and declared its win null and void.
In the 14th General Election, Barisan’s Datuk C. Sivarraajh had won with a 597-majority, polling 10,307 votes against Manogaran’s 9,710 votes.
Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said Pakatan failed to win because the local problems they brought up were “non-issues”.
“Pakatan accused us of not developing Cameron Highlands, but it’s not true.
“People here can see the difference we brought over the years, which was why they continued to support us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the mood at Pakatan’s elections operation centre in Brinchang Square was sombre as Manogaran conceded defeat.
He said there were still positives to be derived from the by-election, especially inroads made into some orang asli areas such as Pos Betau, Lenjang, Sinderut and Lanai, where votes had increased.
Responding to queries on whether he would contest again in the 15th General Election, Manogaran said he would let Pakatan’s leadership decide on it.
“In four years’ time the situation on the ground might change, but if my assistance is still required, I will contribute.
“We also accept the voters’ decision and I congratulate Ramli for the win.
“I hope he will perform as an MP for Cameron Highlands and represent all the people here,” he said.- Star
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