KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) break on Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) stronghold in Padang Serai is a sign that voters do not trust the PH unity government that includes Barisan Nasional, PN chief Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
In a Facebook post today, he said PN’s 16,260-majority win in the federal seat in Kedah, as well as BN’s meagre majority of over 500 votes in the Tioman state seat in Pahang, was proof of the “fraud” PH and BN had committed by lying to voters in the 15th general election (GE15).
“The results of the two elections (Padang Serai and Tioman) show that the people are not excited about BN and PH joining to form the government.
“The people don’t trust this unity government headed by PH to lead the country. They are disappointed that PH and BN leaders lied while campaigning for GE15, and that’s why many supporters of these two coalitions switched their support to PN.
“For me, PH and BN’s lies in GE15 are the biggest electoral fraud ever, and voters in Padang Serai have given a clear signal that they will not support these two coalitions,” Muhyiddin said.
In Padang Serai, PN’s candidate Datuk “Cikgu” Azman Nasrudin, from Bersatu, won in a six-cornered fight by a majority of 16,260 votes over his closest rival from PH.
The federal seat had been a PH stronghold, with PKR winning it for the last three general elections since 2008. In 2018, its winning margin was over 8,000 votes.
The stunning reversal and PN’s rise are in tandem with the results of GE15 this year, which showed the unexpected ascendancy of the coalition that comprises Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan to win a total now of 74 parliamentary seats.
This makes it the second-largest block after the election, with PH the biggest holding 82 seats.
In the Tioman state election, BN retained the seat but barely – winning only by a narrow margin of 573 votes over PN.
PH has formed the government with BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah. The government is also supported by three MPs from Warisan, one each from the Parti Bangsa Malaysia and Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat party, as well as two independents. – The Vibes, December 8, 2022
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