A POST-MORTEM is necessary to identify the reasons behind the Unity government’s defeat to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Sungai Bakap by-election, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.
Chow, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, emphasised the need for this post-mortem to uncover the weaknesses and evaluate any planned initiatives for the people during the campaign period.
“We humbly accept our defeat to PN, as we believe this is the people’s voice, which reflects the current political situation in the country, state, and particularly Sungai Bakap.
“Following the post-mortem, we expect to gain a clearer understanding of tonight’s result, enabling us to take the necessary action to rectify the situation,” Chow said while observing the unofficial results of Sungai Bakap by-election at Bukit Jawi Golf Resort today.
As of this writing, PH’s candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin is trailing PN’s candidate Abidin Ismail by a majority of 4,269 votes. PN garnered 14,554 votes while PH obtained 10,285 votes out of 66 polling streams.
Putting politics aside, Chow said the state would continue to prioritise the people’s well-being and strive to do its best for them.
“We received several unresolved local issues from the voters during our campaign, and we will strive to assist them.
“Although we could not win the seat, we wil still play our role to assist them,” he said.
Chow noted that the election results clearly reflected the current sentiment toward the Unity government.
“We believe this is largely due to the national, state, and the local issues. The national issues include the diesel subsidy removal, inflation, and rising cost of living,” adding that the explanations provided to the voters during the campaign were not well received.
Chow stressed the need for a better communication approach to convey messages to the people.
Asked about the Chinese and Indian votes, Chow mentioned that their support has declined by more than 10%, with voter turnout around 63%.
Also present were Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who is also Nibong Tebal MP, Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid, state Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye, and state Trade, Entrepreneurial, and Rural Development Committee chairman Rashidi Zinol.