SEBERANG PERAI, July 7 — Penang PKR chief Nurul Izzah Anwar said the party’s defeat in the Sungai Bakap by-election yesterday is a sign for the party to self-reflect.
She said it is also a reminder for the party to continue its work to win the confidence of the people.
“This defeat reminds us that we cannot be too complacent, and we must take this reality as a challenge in our struggle,” she said in a press conference after the official results of the by-election was announced last night.
Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Abidin Ismail garnered 14,489 votes to win the seat with a majority of 4,267 votes against Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Joohari Ariffin who garnered 10,222 votes.
PN retained the seat with a larger majority compared to the state elections last year.
In the state elections last year, PN’s Nor Zamri Latiff won the seat with a majority of 1,563 votes against PN’s Nurhidayah Che Rus.
The by-election was triggered by Nor Zamri’s death on May 24.
Nurul Izzah said PKR accepted and respected the choice of the people of Sungai Bakap in the by-election.
She thanked voters who came out to vote and the PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) campaign teams who worked tirelessly throughout the campaign period.
“While respecting the choice of the people of Sungai Bakap, it is disheartening that they were racial attacks and malicious slander by the Opposition to influence the sentiments of voters,” she said.
She said the party will continue to bring back the debate, explanations and efforts focused on resolving key issues such as the people’s welfare, education, infrastructure development and a livelihood that balances the needs of the mainland and the island.
“We take this by-election results as a determination to self-reflect and to change for a better future for Penang and Malaysia,” she said.
PH held the Sungai Bakap state seat since 2008 before the coalition lost it to PN in the 2023 state elections.
