TUMPAT, Sept 25 — Barisan Nasional retained the Pengkalan Kubor state seat defeating PAS with an increased majority in today's by-election, continuing its dominance in the constituency
Official results showed Umno's Mat Razi Mat Ail garnered 9,991 votes while PAS's Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim bagged 7,326, losing with a majority of 2,635 votes or close to 900 more than in the previous election.
In last year’s national polls, Umno’s Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar beat Saharun Ibrahim of PKR and independent Izat Bukhary, who also contested today, with a 1,736 majority votes.
PKR agreed to make way for PAS to contest this time around since the Islamist party, which has ruled Kelantan for more than two decades, would likely have a better chance at winning with the state machinery behind its back.
Observers believe the internal split in PAS and the absence of its top leader for the most part of the by-election became a setback to its campaign although it later dismissed the claims.
“Overall, the absence of the party’s top leaders was not a problem. It wasn’t a factor. That is just internal polemics,” party vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told a press conference after the results were announced here.
“If you look at it, everyone campaigned. So there is no question of internal problems. I accept the results,” he added.
Most of PAS’s top leaders were away throughout the campaign, focusing much of their energy at a fractious Muktamar where the progressive and conservative factions pitted against one another over the manner in which the party had dealt with the Selangor mentri besar post crisis.
T
uan Ibrahim said PAS’s votes were tremendously affected by non-returning outside voters.
He also claimed the federal government’s aid programmes for the poor helped bolster BN’s image. Quite a big section of Pengkalan Kubor’s electorate are poor.
Meanwhile, Umno’s candidate Mat Razi said his closeness with the constituency’s voters helped him won the by-election.
“Because I am close with the community here… and they know Umno has been helping them,” he told reporters after celebrating his victory with Umno’s top leaders.
Up to 73 per cent of the 23,929 voters had cast their ballots at the 11 polling centres in the Pengkalan Kubor state by-election when polling closed at 5pm today, according to the Election Commission (EC).
90 per cent of the electorate are Malays and are known to be staunch backers of BN.
Mat Razi’s win means BN retains its 11 seats in the Kelantan state legislative. PAS has 36 and PKR has one.
