Najib Happy With Votes Swing In Manik Urai

From Mokhtar Hussain

SHARM EL-SHEIKH (Egypt), July 15 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak has expressed satisfaction with the swing of votes in the just-concluded Manik Urai state by-election in Kelantan, attributing it to the acceptance by the people, especially the Malays, of the measures introduced during the 103 days thus far that he has been the prime minister of Malaysia.

Although the Barisan Nasional (BN) failed to capture the seat, the result of the by-election was most encouraging, more so because the by-election took place in the Malay heartland, he said.

The BN lost by a mere 65 votes when Mohd Fauzi Abdullah retained the seat for PAS with 5,348 votes after beating Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat of the BN who garnered 5,283 votes in the by-election yesterday.

"Hopefully, the people's rising support and trust will continue," said Najib, who is also BN chairman, when speaking to Malaysian journalists covering his attendance at the 15th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in this Red Sea resort city.

He said the by-election results showed that the BN was beginning to regain the people's confidence and that continuing with the efforts which have been taken thus far would place the ruling coalition on a stronger footing.

"We cannot (as yet) say that everything (we have done) has passed the test but I am most satisfied that what we have started over the last 103 days has received encouraging response from the people," he said.

The prime minister said he had conveyed his appreciation and congratulations to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Kelantan BN election director Datuk Mustapa Mohamed and the BN candidate.

"Although we did not win, the result is a huge moral victory for the BN," said Najib in reference to the difference between the current 65-vote majority and the 1,352-vote majority PAS had garnered during the general election last year.

On the 117 spoilt votes, which exceeded the 65-vote majority, Najib said the BN had yet to ascertain the reason for such a large number of spoilt votes.

He said the BN would register an objection if it suspected any irregularity during the by-election. Otherwise, the BN would accept the result and consider it as a moral victory, he added.

On the issues which could have influenced the voters in Manik Urai, Najib said: "We have to assess whether they were influenced by national issues or local issues or if it was a combination of both. But whatever it is, we are gratified that there is a major swing that has taken place in Manik Urai. And this is part of the Malay heartland."