GUA MUSANG: PAS does not see its defeat in Galas as a signal that the voters are returning to the Barisan Nasional (BN) fold. Instead, it claims that it merely lost to a superior Barisan Nasional election machinery.
PAS Kelantan election director Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah said the defeat here mirrored the party's loss to the BN at the Pengkalan Pasir by-election in 2007. It then went on to recapture the seat in the 2008 general election.
“We lost simply because of the BN's superior election machinery, which concentrated on recapturing Galas,” Wan Rahim told FMT.
He said that in a general election when the ruling coalition would have to spread its resources nationwide, a victory would not have been possible.
"Of course, we concede defeat and accept it like a gentleman. We congratulate the BN on its victory. We simply cannot compete with the might of its resources. But we remain optimistic that we can recapture Galas in the coming general election," he said.
PAS' Dr Zulkefli Mohamad lost to BN's Abdul Aziz Yusoff by a 1,190-vote majority, which surpassed the majority gained by the Islamist party in the 2008 general election when the late Che Hashim Sulaima won with a 646-majority against BN's Mohd Saufi Deraman.
Zulkefli, a local medical practitioner and the party's Gua Musang chief, gained 4,134 votes. Abdul Aziz, Umno's Gua Musang division secretary, garnered 5,324 votes.
Chinese votes back in BN?
A rough check of the Galas polling data showed an increase in Chinese votes for BN in the predominantly Chinese settlements in the state constituency.
The popular opinion among analysts and observers was that the Chinese votes would only go in one direction – towards the opposition.
But it did not turn out that way – it went in the opposite direction. However, Wan Rahim said the data also indicated an increase in Chinese votes for PAS.
He said that a barometer of Chinese support towards PAS in the area was Kampung Pulai where 80% of the residents are Chinese.
"Yes, the votes for BN-MCA (Chinese component party) went up but so also were the votes for PAS. This means Chinese support towards PAS has increased although MCA did a better job at campaigning."
This could be attributed to the high voter turnout, said Wan Rahim. The Election Commission said the turnout stood at 83%, 2% higher than the 2008 turnout in a constituency of 11,533 eligible voters.
He, however, preferred a low-key response when asked about the polling data from Kampung Baru Gua Musang, another predominantly Chinese settlement here. In the last general election, PAS dominated all four polling streams but yesterday its dominance had withered away.
"I have not seen the polling data yet. I will have to see it first before I make any comments," Wan Rahim said.
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