Sunday, April 25, 2010
KUALA KUBU BHARU: Barisan Nasional (BN) won the closely-fought Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat on Sunday, April 25, by a 1,725-vote majority, giving the coalition a psychological boost in its bid to recapture the Selangor state government.
The BN’s triumph in a mixed constituency will be seen as an endorsement of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept and is expected to strengthen his approval ratings, muting the effects of the opposition’s steady attacks on his credibility and administrative policies.
The straight fight for the seat, which has 64,500 registered voters, saw BN’s P Kamalanathan polling 24,997 votes against PKR Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who mustered 23,272 votes. The results were announced by returning officer Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan at about 9.10pm. There were 731 spoilt votes and voter turnout stood at 75.87% or 48,935 voters.
The three state seats of Kuala Kubu Bharu, Hulu Bernam and Batang Kali under the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency are held by an MCA representative and two from Umno, putting it firmly under BN’s control. Kamalanathan’s victory has increased the number of MPs from the largest Indian-based party to four representatives.
The BN campaign had used the issue of Zaid’s alcohol consumption in his youth to score points with the Muslim majority voters, mounted a strong campaign for “more inclusive” politics and pledged continued development in the constituency, banking on its record of national development.
Aided by the top leaders of BN component parties who campaigned continuously for eight days, the coalition’s tested formula of stressing on welfare, stability, land allocation and promises to redevelop abandoned townships paid off. It has also appointed a federal representative to ensure that all its pledges in the by-election will be fulfilled.
Despite facing criticisms on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, allegations of corruption, controversial links with comunications consultancy Apco Worldwide and issues related to military procurement, BN remained unscathed. It managed to ride on its candidate’s “local boy” tag and his ability to mingle with the masses.
PKR’s strategy of fielding a high profile candidate could not swing enough votes at the final count. The party needs to take stock of its acceptability by voters as the by-election was held with the backdrop of defections from among its elected representatives and divisional leaders.
The fence-sitters seemed uninterested in the opposition’s line of attack, including its questioning of the authenticity of Kamalanathan’s communications degree, his perceived subservience to Umno and the query about his name in the electoral roll of the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat.
Najib told a press conference that BN’s “hard-fought win” was meaningful because BN was able to recapture the seat in the PR-led state.
“With this win... we must fulfil not just the promises we made but the people’s expectations and hopes in all respects,” he said.
“With this victory, voters have rejected the way the opposition plays politics by spreading lies. Voters cannot accept it. They can judge what is true,” Najib said.
Asked about the Chinese votes, which went mostly to PKR, Najib said BN would analyse their strong support for PKR. He believed that there was some change in their support between the start of campaigning until April 25.
To another question, Najib said it was “too early” to tell if the Hulu Selangor victory was an endorsement of his reforms but he called it “a good beginning” for the ruling coalition.
“This means we are on the right track... They’re happy with the announcements, with the thinking and policy direction but now we must make sure we provide the results,” Najib said after the results were announced.
Kamalanathan said he was “touched” by his victory but said he would have to work harder to win over all voters and not just the Chinese votes that had gone to PKR.
“This victory is not mine, this victory belongs to the Barisan Nasional machinery,” Kamalanathan told a press conference. He said that he would soon move from Rawang to Hulu Selangor, as he promised during campaigning.
MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu said an estimated 68% to 72% of Indian voters had returned to MIC and BN this time.
“We explain to them and show how important it is to be with BN to guarantee their future... We start with the new MIC that is closer to the rakyat,” Samy Vellu said, when asked about MIC’s chances in the next general election.
The BN’s triumph in a mixed constituency will be seen as an endorsement of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept and is expected to strengthen his approval ratings, muting the effects of the opposition’s steady attacks on his credibility and administrative policies.
The straight fight for the seat, which has 64,500 registered voters, saw BN’s P Kamalanathan polling 24,997 votes against PKR Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who mustered 23,272 votes. The results were announced by returning officer Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan at about 9.10pm. There were 731 spoilt votes and voter turnout stood at 75.87% or 48,935 voters.
The three state seats of Kuala Kubu Bharu, Hulu Bernam and Batang Kali under the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency are held by an MCA representative and two from Umno, putting it firmly under BN’s control. Kamalanathan’s victory has increased the number of MPs from the largest Indian-based party to four representatives.
The BN campaign had used the issue of Zaid’s alcohol consumption in his youth to score points with the Muslim majority voters, mounted a strong campaign for “more inclusive” politics and pledged continued development in the constituency, banking on its record of national development.
Aided by the top leaders of BN component parties who campaigned continuously for eight days, the coalition’s tested formula of stressing on welfare, stability, land allocation and promises to redevelop abandoned townships paid off. It has also appointed a federal representative to ensure that all its pledges in the by-election will be fulfilled.
Despite facing criticisms on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, allegations of corruption, controversial links with comunications consultancy Apco Worldwide and issues related to military procurement, BN remained unscathed. It managed to ride on its candidate’s “local boy” tag and his ability to mingle with the masses.
PKR’s strategy of fielding a high profile candidate could not swing enough votes at the final count. The party needs to take stock of its acceptability by voters as the by-election was held with the backdrop of defections from among its elected representatives and divisional leaders.
The fence-sitters seemed uninterested in the opposition’s line of attack, including its questioning of the authenticity of Kamalanathan’s communications degree, his perceived subservience to Umno and the query about his name in the electoral roll of the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat.
Najib told a press conference that BN’s “hard-fought win” was meaningful because BN was able to recapture the seat in the PR-led state.
“With this win... we must fulfil not just the promises we made but the people’s expectations and hopes in all respects,” he said.
“With this victory, voters have rejected the way the opposition plays politics by spreading lies. Voters cannot accept it. They can judge what is true,” Najib said.
Asked about the Chinese votes, which went mostly to PKR, Najib said BN would analyse their strong support for PKR. He believed that there was some change in their support between the start of campaigning until April 25.
To another question, Najib said it was “too early” to tell if the Hulu Selangor victory was an endorsement of his reforms but he called it “a good beginning” for the ruling coalition.
“This means we are on the right track... They’re happy with the announcements, with the thinking and policy direction but now we must make sure we provide the results,” Najib said after the results were announced.
Kamalanathan said he was “touched” by his victory but said he would have to work harder to win over all voters and not just the Chinese votes that had gone to PKR.
“This victory is not mine, this victory belongs to the Barisan Nasional machinery,” Kamalanathan told a press conference. He said that he would soon move from Rawang to Hulu Selangor, as he promised during campaigning.
MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu said an estimated 68% to 72% of Indian voters had returned to MIC and BN this time.
“We explain to them and show how important it is to be with BN to guarantee their future... We start with the new MIC that is closer to the rakyat,” Samy Vellu said, when asked about MIC’s chances in the next general election.
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