OPPOSITION leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has hailed the victory of Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar in the Kemaman parliamentary by-election, saying that it adds to the strength of Perikatan Nasional (PN), especially in its aspiration to take over Putrajaya.
According to him, the win proves that the coalition enjoys strong support among Malay voters, and clearly indicates that PN is the main vehicle for the political advancement of the Malays.
“To my friend, Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar – welcome to parliament,” said Hamzah, who is secretary-general of both PN and Bersatu. He is also the Larut MP.
“The majority of 37,220 votes received by Dr. Sam – which saw a surge of over 10,000 votes – is also clear evidence that the people have rejected the Madani government led by (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim,” he added, referring to the prime minister.
“The result of the Kemaman by-election is a great blow to Anwar and it is a gift for the first anniversary of the PMX administration’s failure,” he said in a post on Facebook after the by-election last night.
“At the same time, the reduction by 10,757 votes received by Umno in this by-election compared to the previous 15th general election, demonstrates the shift of massive support of Umno voters to Perikatan Nasional and of course this has something to do with Umno’s cooperation with PH (Pakatan Harapan,” he claimed.
Anwar, who leads the government comprising an alliance of Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), and others, was sworn in as prime minister on November 24 last year and his cabinet was sworn in on December 3.
Dr Sam is a nickname by which Samsuri, an aerospace engineer who is now the Terengganu menteri besar, is popularly referred to.
The PAS vice-president won with a majority of 37,220 votes, bagging 64,998 votes against BN candidate Gen (R) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, who got 27,778 votes.
‘Game changer’ to win federal government
Speaking to reporters last night, Samsuri had brushed aside talk that he would be a prime ministerial choice for PN in the near future. He said all parties can make their own interpretations based on the results of the by-election.
He said the huge victory has been a fresh morale booster for voters and supporters.
He said although the turnout did not reach the target, his party was satisfied because it got a higher majority than what it had achieved in the last election.
“We expected the (percentage) turnout to be around 72% to 74%,” he said, commenting on the voter turnout of 65.76%.
“So, although we did not reach the target for various reasons, but God willing in terms of the percentage received by the party, it is more than what we achieved before,” he said.
He added that his focus is now not only on parliament but the whole of Terengganu.
“There are matters related not only to the Kemaman constituency but also to the state of Terengganu itself, and how I can help to some extent other MPs on the well-being of Malaysia,” he said.
The by-election was called following the Terengganu election court’s decision on September 26 to nullify PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid’s victory in the general election in November last year.
Che Alias had in that election won the seat with a majority of 27,179 votes after obtaining 65,714 votes to defeat BN’s Datuk Seri Ahmad Said (38,535), Pakatan Harapan’s Hasuni Sudin (8,340), and Pejuang’s Rosli Ab Ghani (506).
Samsuri had yesterday characterised the win as a “game changer” for PN and PAS.
He said securing the victory with such a large majority will open the “door” for PN to take over Putrajaya and rule the country.
“Thank you all. What we saw today in the Kemaman parliamentary constituency, (winning) with a high majority is the result of everyone’s hard work,” he said.
“It will be a game changer and will open the door for us to go to Putrajaya,” he added. – The Vibes, December 3, 2023
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