Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email As expected, BN wins handsomely in the stronghold areas of Merlimau (Malacca) and Kerdau (Pahang).
In Merlimau, PAS candidate Yuhaizat Abdullah got 2,319 votes, while BN’s Roslan got 5,962 voters. Voter turnout was 79 per cent of the 10,679 voters and majority was 3,643 votes. This is an improvement from the previous majority, 2.615 votes.
In Kerdau, BN candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad defeated PAS’s Hassanuddin Salim by 4,960 votes to 2,336. This is an increased majority of 2,724 compared to 1,615-vote majority in 2008. Its even better than the 2004 GE results (2,565). Voter turnout was 83 per cent of the 8,999 voters.
I’m not aware of the Indian votes (298 in Kerdau and 1,567 in Merlimau), but can be rest assured that most of the votes would have gone to BN. More so after PAS in Kelantan decided to ban lottery tickets. That surely chased away any “pity” votes the non-Muslim may have thought of giving. In the end, it was a walk in park for BN.
As an indication, the Chinese votes in Kerdau polling district, the only area with a substantial Chinese presence, saw BN getting 428 votes while PAS got 216. In previous election, BN won the district with a thin majority of 37.
Oh yeah, as usual, there were calls of vote-buying, election goodies etc., but I think in these areas it would not have made much difference.
As mentioned by BN leaders, this is a big hit for PAS, but of course, the by-elections were done in BN strongholds, so the results are expected. Anyway, this is the 5th straight loss for PR coalition, after Galas, Tenang and Batu Sapi. I wonder how the results would be in a urban area.
How would these wins shape the coming months? Would there be a general election soon?
