BN won by 1,725 votes majority. Much less than what Muhyidin expected. He targeted a 6,000 votes majority. It doesn't takes a rocket scientist to figure out how our DPM can come out with such high expectation. And we have read many comments over the mainstream media as well as electronic media. While BN interpret and spins this result as support to their advantage, we also get opportunist in the like of Hindraf trying to claim their share of victory. I need not go further into that but if you have been following their statements before and after this by-election, you can really see what they actually are. We all know Umno have been playing dirty in all elections. It's only a matter of how blatant they want play it. And this one happens to be the most blatant.
Of all the resources available at their disposal, the move by Election Commission to mess up the electorate polling station is, by all standard, the most vicious move. Almost 14,000 voters polling station were transferred to create confusion. One Hulu Yam resident lamented that he has voted all his life in Hulu Yam but this time, he found out that his polling station is more than 20km away in Kalumpang. A success rate of 20% of this exercise can be translated as a loss of 2,800 votes to Pakatan Rakyat as this tranferring exercise involves voters in PR stronghold. And believe me, a 20% figure is a conservative estimate after considering PKR's limitation and enthusiasm in rectifying this problem.
Next on the list would be the vote buying factor. Poverty still exists in semi rural Hulu Selangor. We took a drive from Tg Malim heading towards KKB making random trip into estates and villages. We witnessed many dipilated houses in appaling condition. Agents were seen walking towards BN held function with envelops and electoral list. Umno puteris and those in 1Malaysia tshirts were active going from house to house in estates handing out goodies.
Next on the list would be the vote buying factor. Poverty still exists in semi rural Hulu Selangor. We took a drive from Tg Malim heading towards KKB making random trip into estates and villages. We witnessed many dipilated houses in appaling condition. Agents were seen walking towards BN held function with envelops and electoral list. Umno puteris and those in 1Malaysia tshirts were active going from house to house in estates handing out goodies. It is hard to resist the temptation of money when one is living at such poverty level. There are many welfare recipients in Hulu Selangor. They used to receive a monthly relief of RM300 from welfare department. This have been reduced to RM200. Can somebody explain what happen to the RM100?
Last important factor that contributed to PKR loss is their machinery on polling day. A drive around polling stations from KKB to Sg Buaya. BN young supporters outnumbered PKR in almost every polling station. By the time we reached Sg Buaya at around noon, many of their supporters have abandoned their position. Some of the booth were left unmanned. Act of internal sabotage? Or purely lacking manpower? That's for them to figure out themselves.
After considering all the factors involved, BN may have won this by-election but it is definitely A Hollow Victory. They can spin all they want but deep down inside, they know it wasn't a victory that they expected after all the dirty tricks deployed. 1,725 majority out of 49,000 votes casted is negligible on their fortress.
The level of awareness among the people remains intact.
On the other hand, I think it is about time for the coalition to unite together under one platform. The united Pakatan Rakyat platform with a united machinery. Not united in the sense where party leaders just appearing to give speeches at ceramahs. All parties in the coalition need to tap each other's strength and unite them under one machinery, and that would be a force to reckon with.
Sunset, Kg Pertak, Hulu Selangor
4 comments:
BN just win the battle but no the war! One day, may be in next generation BN will no longer controlling Malaysia and Malaysia will be a better place to live.
Keep up the good work PR!
BaNish BN!
Good you gave us reasons for the loss, but pray tell what should we do to win? And I am not talking about Sibu (though I pray PR gets it).
Whether or not PR components join together as one party, I think there are many areas where they can work together. Although a small and maybe inconsequential matter, but I noticed at the recent HS by-election that the PKR has technology that DAP does not yet have (at least not at last GE).
At the polling booth where I assisted, they came with lap tops preloaded with the entire database of the HS voters, and they have a program (the mirror image of wht the EC website wld have) so checking voters eligibility was a breeze. Very shy to say, but when I was working for the DAP booth in 308, all we had was sheets of the names list for each centre.... If nothing else, a combined machinery to handle by-elections would be good.... we signed up to help as polling agents, and our alloted centres were changed at the last minute, and in the end, there were more than 20 polling agents serving a centre of 900 voters....
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