GEORGE TOWN, May 25 — DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh Deo retained the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat by garnering a 37,659 vote majority today.
The 38-year-old lawyer failed to beat his father, the late MP Karpal Singh’s record of a 42,706 vote majority due to a lower voter turnout.
The Election Commission official results were: DAP 41,242 votes, Parti Cinta Malaysia 3,583 votes, independent candidates Mohd Nabi Bux Mohd Sathar 799 votes and Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan 225 votes.
All the three other candidates lost their deposit as they failed to garner the minimal one eighth or 12 per cent of the total votes cast.
A total 46,388 votes were cast today with 539 being spoilt votes.
In a press conference after his victory was announced, Ramkarpal dedicated his win to his father.
“He was with me throughout this whole campaign so he played an important role in this win for DAP,” he said.
Though the vote majority has lessened, the percentage of votes for DAP in relation to voter turnouts was at a whopping 89.95 per cent.
“The high percentage of votes for DAP in relation to voter turnout is high and this reflects the support voters have for DAP,” he added.
He then thanked the party for fielding him and added his gratitude to his mother, Gurmit Kaur, and his siblings for their support and assistance throughout the whole campaign period.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said this is not only a win for DAP but a win for all the people in Bukit Gelugor.
“The vote majority may seem lower but this is due to the lower voter turnout of only 56.3 per cent so we have actually increased the percentage of votes for DAP,” said Lim who is also Penang chief minister.
He pointed out that all the three other candidates lost their deposit and even if their results were combined, they also fail to reach the minimum 12 per cent out of total votes.
“I am sure Ramkarpal will be an MP for all the people of Bukit Gelugor and not only those who voted for him,” he said.
