Bukit Gantang: Did BN Really Enjoy An Increase In Malay Support?

I refer to the article, 'Bukit Gantang: Lessons for BN and Pakatan' contributed by Ong Kian Ming to MalaysiaKini.

A good analysis indeed based on the facts and figures made available by some controlled quarter. I can't blame Mr Ong for having to rely on such unreliable figures to derive to this conclusion that BN has gained 5% more Malay's votes as compared to the 12th General Election.

This is where I beg to differ.

From the ground that day itself, there was this worrying trend on the low turnout of voters especially from the Malays. At about 1:00 pm, most polling centres were reporting a miserable 33% voters turnout. Further breakdowns indicated that Malay voters were the ones not turning up to cast their votes.

We did another trip around the polling centres towards the close of polling. This time, the percentage of voters turnout increased to slightly above 50% with all the roads to polling centres jammed up and less than an hour to go and most of the polling centres were having voters trickling in. No long queues either.

It's pretty amazing how the Election Commission can come out with a final figure of 75% voters turnout. A jump of 20% in less than an hour under the above-mentioned conditions? They must have been there among those cheerleaders out there.

Well, it doesn't make any sense to me at all. And that made the whole breakdown ridiculous.

You can believe in that available figures if you want. To me, it's just a face saving measures. Like the Chinese saying goes, ' even when you fall, one must at least try grab a handful of sand'.

They can spin all they like to hoodwink the people but they knew the truth themselves. And the truth hurts.

The People won despite all the unfair practises that were thrown at them. It can't be any sweeter than this.

Happy Anniversary, The Whisperer. You have just turned One yesterday.