Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad admits the cooperation between Umno and PAS led to BN’s victory in yesterday’s by-election for Semenyih.
“Well, the last time we won (the state seat) in the 14th general election was because PAS and Umno were divided, and therefore, they couldn’t achieve a good number,” he said at a press conference after opening the 2019 National Landscape Day in Putrajaya today.
However, Mahathir stressed that the burgeoning ties between Umno and PAS would work against the latter in a general election.
“They can work together for by-elections, because a win or a loss is not important.
“But for the general election, they cannot work together. If they do, PAS will be left with nothing,” he said.
BN recaptured Semenyih yesterday after its candidate Zakaria Hanafi bagged 19,780 votes, a 1,914-majority win over Pakatan Harapan’s Muhammad Aiman Zainali.
PSM’ Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul and independent Kuan Chee Heng garnered 847 and 725 votes respectively.
‘Sentiments played up’
Mahathir also blamed certain quarters who played up religious sensitivities during the campaign.
“There were some people who unnecessarily provoked anger among the people by harping on issues pertaining to insults against Prophet Muhammad.
“All this did not contribute to the betterment of the country. So, we hope they don’t do this kind of thing again, because it will just make people angry.”
Recently, Umno and PAS Youth threatened to hold a mega rally to express dissatisfaction on the purportedly lackadaisical approach towards those who insult Islam and the Prophet.
‘Can’t be done overnight’
Asked whether Harapan’s failure to fulfil the promises in its manifesto contributed to its defeat in Semenyih, Mahathir said the government needed time to fulfil the promises, especially given the country’s RM1 trillion debt.
“We want to fulfil the promises, but it cannot be done overnight. It takes a long time. Now our debt is at RM1 trillion.
“The money that we have should be spent on the people, but now we have to use it to pay interest.
“Recently, we paid RM200 million interest because (former premier) Najib Abdul Razak had incurred an RM55 billion loan for the East Coast Rail Line project, which could actually be done at a much lower cost,” he said.
Asked to comment on the GLC boss who had allegedly helped PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang pay RM1.4 million to settle his suit against Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown, Mahathir said he was not livid.
“PAS has many sympathisers. He (Hadi) has a problem, so if they want to help, they can do so.
“We are not angry with him (the GLC boss), but we are angry with PAS for not telling the truth.”
Hadi had sued Rewcastle-Brown in London over a 2016 Sarawak Report article, which alleged that Najib channelled RM90 million to top PAS leaders in a bid to secure their support ahead of the 14th general election.
However, both parties had settled the matter out of court.
Rewcastle-Brown confirmed that Hadi had paid RM1.4 million through her lawyer Americk Sidhu.
In a Facebook post yesterday, former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said the head of the GLC, who carries a ‘datuk’ title, is close to Hadi’s family and a staunch PAS supporter. – MKINI
Pakatan gets roasted on social media over Semenyih loss
MALAYSIANS took to social media to lash out at Pakatan Harapan for losing its Semenyih state seat to Barisan Nasional in yesterday’s by-election, with many blaming the ruling coalition for making empty promises and performing poorly since coming into power last May.
Twitter user Daniel Rahman said the defeat should serve as a wake-up call for the government.
“It clearly shows now that people are angry with the current government due to empty promises and mediocre performances. It’s good to have check and balance, the current government now knows that they need to really improve,” he said.
Izz Kamil (@izzkamilhalda) said voters picked BN candidate Zakaria Hanafi as an act of protest against PH.
“It is sad that BN has nothing to offer but the people of Semenyih still chose them because PH can’t keep their promises.
“In other words, the Rakyat is on the losing side. Chose BN sebab ‘fed up denagan’ (tired with) PH but had to chose kleptocratics because of no other choice,” he said.
Izz Kamil@izzkamilhaldaIt is sad that BN has nothing to offer but the people of Semenyih still chose them because PH can’t keep their promises.In other words, the Rakyat is on the losing side. Chose BN sebab fed up dengan PH but had to chose kleptocratics because of no other choice.
BN narrowly won the state seat last night, with Zakaria receiving 19,780 votes against 17,866 garnered by his nearest rival Muhammad Aiman Zainali from Bersatu.
Twitter user Faizal Hamssin (@faizalhamsin) said the people are tired of empty promises and mere talk.
“They want to see meaningful changes that affect their lives. This is especially true for the struggling working class, which makes up a huge chunk of Semenyih. And these changes better happen within 5 years,” he said.
Many also took to Facebook to criticise PH for the loss in Semenyih.
“Just what is PH leadership doing? Your Ministers and MBs are all out of track,” said Andrew Phung.
Another Facebook user Aspan Alias said PH’s campaign was weak, citing its efforts to discredit PAS and the former ruling party Umno as ineffective.
“All the efforts to discredit PAS failed and all attempt to make the voters being reminded for the misdeeds of Umno while in power were not helping the PH in Semenyih by election,” he said.
Some social media users noted that BN also won because the pact chose the right candidate, as they did in the last Cameron Highlands parliamentary by-election in January where Ramli Mohd Nor was fielded and won.
KNB@nizambakeri
Kudos BN. They got the right candidate again, after Cameron Highland. Still at the top of their game when it comes that. #SemenyihMemilih
“Kudos BN. They got the right candidate again after Cameron Highlands. Still at the top of their game when it comes to that,” said Twitter handle @nizambakeri.
One Facebook user also praised BN acting chairman Mohamad Hasan for the win.
“Tok Mat is not stained by any scandal will make a strong leader,” said Kevin Leong SK.
Last night, Mohamad attributed the victory in Semenyih to the cooperation with Islamist party PAS, as well as former prime minister Najib Razak’s campaigning efforts.
“The ‘Bossku’ factor was not planned. It came about organically and captured the hearts of youth.
“The people have switched back to BN. The Umno-PAS cooperation is also a huge factor,” Mohamad said.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.