KUALA LUMPUR – Only a by-election for the “6 cursed seats” or the six seats held by former Bersatu MPs will be able to gauge Umno’s strength, not the Mahkota by-election, said Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris.
Speaking to Scoop, Razali said that this is because Johor is Umno’s stronghold, and in the Mahkota by-election, Umno received assistance from DAP.
“That’s why it was a one-on-one contest. If it had been a three-cornered fight, it would definitely have given Umno a tough challenge so it would have to ‘embrace’ DAP ‘tighter’ if there had been a three-cornered fight.
“There’s a way to see how strong Umno is, and that’s through the by-elections in the six seats (held by former Bersatu MPs) because they are located in various states, not just Johor,” he said.
He was commenting on the sarcastic remarks made by Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who likened Bersatu to “a dead person who hasn’t been buried yet.”
Nur Jazlan also described the current internal leadership of Bersatu as chaotic and in disarray while suggesting PAS might be considering leaving Perikatan Nasional (PN).
On 18 July, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, ruled that the six former Bersatu MPs who declared their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would remain as elected representatives and would not have to vacate their seats.
The MPs involved, who are now independent, are Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tg Karang), Mohd Aziz Abu Naim (Gua Musang), and Zahari Kechik (Jeli).
The outcome of the Mahkota by-election on Saturday saw Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah winning with a large majority after receiving 27,995 votes, defeating the PN candidate Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, who received 7,347 votes.
Elaborating further, Razali denied that relations with PAS had weakened, stating that they remain strong and are fighting together under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner.
“We are fighting under the PN banner, not Bersatu or PAS. It’s just that PN needs to work harder, and we have already planned strategies to capture Johor,” he said, targeting young voters for the 16th general election. – October 2, 2024
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