Govt Promises And Pas Bersatu Rift Swayed Voters Says Ex Mp

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Ex-MP Charles Santiago of DAP said the PAS-Bersatu conflict would have cost the opposition some Malay votes.PETALING JAYA: Promises made by the unity government to Kuala Kubu Baharu voters, especially the Indian community, and an apparent internal conflict between PAS and Bersatu may have been key factors in the Pakatan Harapan victory in the by-election, says a former MP.
Charles Santiago of DAP, a former MP for Klang, said the government’s promises “seemed to have worked out, hence a big victory for the unity government”.
However, a clearer picture would depend on a detailed study to be carried out.
Santiago said one factor that might have contributed to the victory of PH candidate Pang Sock Tao was a PAS-Bersatu conflict. “Something must have gone wrong among the Malay votes for us to win this big. I believe this could be due to an internal conflict between PAS and Bersatu,” he said.
A PKR leader, who asked not to be named, said Umno’s hard work in wooing Malay votes for the PH candidate had paid off.
He added that the Umno machinery hoped that its tenacity in campaigning for the PH candidate would see them get some support in their push for former prime minister Najib Razak to be allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest.
Santiago said: “Most of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s promises seemed to be liked and supported, hence the win, but now it’s time to deliver on each and every one of them.”
He said about 75% of early votes cast by policemen and armed forces personnel as well as their wives, had swung to PH.
Official results show Pang won the seat with a 3,869-vote majority over her closest rival, Perikatan Nasional’s Khairul Azhari Saut. The others, an independent, Nyau Ke Xin, and Hafizah Zainuddin of Parti Rakyat Malaysia, lost their deposits. - FMT

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