KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto claimed today that the weeks of hard work by DAP’s team in Tasik Biru was no match for the money politics and scare tactics allegedly employed by her party’s opponents during the campaign period.
In a brief statement on candidate Mordi Bimol’s loss yesterday, Kasthuri said in the two weeks of campaigning, DAP’s team had worked hard to convince voters in the Dayak-majority seat of the need for a more accountable government and better wealth distribution.
“Mordi Bimolo, our young energetic candidate, gave us a glimpse of gross negligence in providing basic necessities for the kampung people there like treated water, street lights and electricity.
“Many kampungs ran solely on generators and drank rain water. We explained to them the need for a more accountable government and the sharing of the wealth equally for everyone in the state like in Penang and Selangor,” she said on Facebook.
But despite this, DAP’s Mordi failed to secure the seat yesterday, losing by a majority of 1,288 votes to BN’s Henry Jinep, who snapped up a total 6,922 votes.
“Our volunteers worked day and night tirelessly to ensure a win for Mordi but money politics and scare tactics emerged the winners in Tasik Biru,” Kasthuri said.
The DAP suffered crippling losses yesterday during the 11th Sarawak polls, winning only seven of the 31 seats it contested, five fewer than the 12 it secured in the last state polls.
Its partner in Pakatan Harapan, PKR, went home with the same three seats it won in the previous polls while Amanah failed to secure a single seat.
BN, on the other hand, soared to a stunning victory, taking 72 seats of 82, more seats even than the total number that made up the previous legislative assembly.
But Kasthuri insisted that despite the loss, the DAP had “fought the good fight” and said the party would learn from its mistakes and rally on to face BN again in the coming federal polls.
“We thank all our Semenanjung and local warriors as they gave their all to win this,” she said.
