KUALA LUMPUR: The Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election result tonight revealed that PAS had failed to defeat its splinter party, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) due to the Chinese voters.
PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad said that Amanah managed to overcome PAS because of the strong support it received from the Chinese, in addition to help from the DAP throughout the campaigning.
“If we look (at the result), Amanah won with us at all polling centres in Chinese areas because they also received help from DAP,” he said when contacted by Bernama here tonight.
He said one of the factors PAS did not manage to defeat Amanah in the Sungai Besar by-election was due to an issue spinned by the Chinese-language media, claiming that PAS would merge with UMNO.
“We did not have the time to explain and touch on the inaccurate issues spinned by the Chinese media, so they were angry at us over there,” he said.
Meanwhile PAS Research Centre director, Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki said the Chinese community were now seen as once again supporting the BN based on results of the 2014 Teluk Intan by-election and the Sarawak state election in May this year.
He said such results would pose a threat to the DAP in facing the 14th general election, in which the party would lose support in the Chinese-majority areas they would be contesting.
“It is also a threat to PKR if PAS were to contest in the seats they (PKR) won in the west coast. Chances are, they (PKR) can lose.
“The results show that former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s influence is no longer significant among the Malay voters.
In fact, the more he involves with Pakatan Harapan, the more he loses his influence,” he said in a statement tonight. Dr Mohd Zuhdi also admitted that the various issues harped by the opposition such as 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and the private jet used by the Prime Minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor failed to attract voters to them.
Although PAS managed to defeat Amanah in Kuala Kangsar (parliamentary by-election), Idris said tonight’s result could not be used to gauge the voters’ support on PAS and Amanah because both constituencies were previously held by Barisan Nasional (BN).
BN scored a landslide victory in both by-elections with Datin Mastura Mohd Yazid, the wife of the Kuala Kangsar incumbent Datuk Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad, obtaining a 6,969-vote majority to fare better than her late husband’s 1,082-vote majority.
Mastura polled 12,653 votes in the four-cornered fight defeating PAS candidate Dr Najihatussalehah Ahmad who managed 5,684 votes, Amanah’s Prof Dr Ahmad Termizi Ramli (4,883 votes) and Independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary (54 votes).
On the other hand, Budiman Mohd Zohdi, who is also Sungai Panjang state assemblyman, won in Sungai Besar with a majority of 9,191 votes, more than the late incumbent Tan Sri Noriah Kasnon’s slim 399-vote majority.
He garnered 16,800 votes in the three-cornered contest against Sungai Besar Amanah chairman Azhar Abdul Shukur (7,609 votes) and Dr Abdul Rani Osman from PAS, who is also Meru assemblyman (6,902 votes).
Both by-elections were held following the deaths of Wan Mohammad Khair-il and Noriah in a helicopter crash in Sebuyau, Sarawak on May 5.
-BERNAMA