KUCHING: The people of Tanjung Piai in Johor voted for the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate during the just-concluded by-election in the constituency because they were disappointed with the Pakatan Harapan (PH).
This was what state Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said when asked for comments on the by-election which was held last Saturday.
BN candidate Wee Jeck Seng polled 25,466 votes to PH’s Karmaine Sardini’s 10,380 votes in the six-cornered fight.
“The results show a significant change in the mood of the voters. The federal government would do well to heed the warning/signal on the ground.
“This is one election where the Indians, Malays and Chinese unite to vote against the government of the day. I assume that they must have been very angry. The margin of majority votes showed that.
“During the 14th general election (GE14), the candidates contested. He (Wee) lost by 524 votes and this time, he won by 15,086-vote majority, a very big jump indeed.
“Tanjung Piai is both urban and suburban where the Chinese make up about 47 per cent of the residents, and during the by-election almost 80 per cent of them voted against the PH.
“Only less than two years ago, they were on this side (PH) and then for them to switch (to BN), there must be something which hurt them,” he told the reporters after officiating at the ‘TEDx Kenyalang: Shine for Others 2019’ at Waterfront Hotel, yesterday.
He further stated that the current PH leaders always fight among themselves and keep on blaming the previous government instead of fulfilling the promises they made.
