It was a decisive victory.
No matter how you look at Barisan Nasional's (BN) victory last night at the Sungai Besar by-election, you can't deny that it was a comfortable win for the ruling party.
How else would you describe a 9,191 vote-majority then?
Nevertheless, it is imperative to point out that BN was already set to win this by-election, despite considering itself as an underdog since they are the opposition in the state.
However, the convincing manner of this victory presents several things for the keenest of political observers to ponder.
First, how did a seat which was won in the 2013 General Elections with only a 399 vote-majority ends up multiplying about 23 times larger in the space of three years?
Was it the choice of the popular Budiman Mohd Zohdi as candidate? Or is it because the Opposition bloc was in disarray? Or maybe, it is due to the well-oiled election machinery ran by BN?
My initial observations? It was a combination of all three.
Some may say that the 'Chinese vote' has slowly returned to BN but I believed this claim should be investigated thoroughly.
This is because, a large segment of the vote in the Chinese-dominated areas within Sungai Besar tend to favour Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).
No surprises here as Amanah's ally within the Pakatan Harapan coalition, DAP, certainly has a hand in ensuring Amanah get the votes they need from the latter's strong voter base support.
Nevertheless, it would be totally unfair to say that Budiman did not grabbed a significant chunk of that elusive Chinese vote.
Clearly, his youthful campaign style would definitely strike a chord with a majority of the voters.
The second thing that is worth to be pointed out is that a fractured Opposition will never, I repeat, never, come even close to beating BN.
There are no two ways about it. If the Opposition is serious about their claim to take over Putrajaya, they must by all means, prevent a three-cornered tussle with BN.
Although it is true that even if you tally up both of Amanah's and PAS' votes last night, it would still not beat Budiman's convincing vote count.
Despite all that, one has to factor in the vote swing in the event, the Opposition actually managed to present a unified front.
Easier said than done, you may say?
The third thing that should be pointed out, no matter how obvious it is at this point, is the relevancy of PAS and how it could be the most integral party in deciding who will take the keys to Putrajaya in the next general elections.
While some may say that PAS can stand on its own as it has been doing so for many years, it is vital for the people to realise that the Islamic party has a significant support base.
No matter how you look at it, PAS' actions, or its affiliations will definitely impact who will win in certain seats, especially the Malay-Muslim dominated areas.
Therefore, although PAS may not be able to win on its own, its very presence in the contests for seats will increase the likelihood of victory for UMNO specifically as well as BN.
So, DAP can blame PAS all they want.
Hafiz Marzukhi
Sun Jun 19 2016
Was it the choice of the popular Budiman Mohd Zohdi as candidate? Or is it because the Opposition bloc was in disarray?
Pengarah Mentega Terbang gagal peroleh kebenaran merayu, perintah larangan bersuara kekal
Panel hakim membuat keputusan itu selepas menolak permohonan Mohd Khairianwar untuk kebenaran meneruskan rayuan bagi mengetepikan perintah tersebut.
Polis tingkat kawalan, penugasan di KLIA
Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) meningkatkan kawalan dan jumlah penugasan pegawai serta anggota di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) Terminal 1 dan 2 sejak Selasa lepas.
Titah Adendum di bawah kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan - Anwar
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tidak mahu terlibat dengan perbincangan membabitkan titah tambahan berhubung tahanan di rumah membabitkan bekas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Sambutan Aidilfitri Madani Peringkat Kebangsaan dI Sabah esok
Sambutan Aidilfitri bertemakan 'Perpaduan Melalui Perayaan' itu akan dirasmikan Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah Tun Juhar Mahiruddin dan diserikan lagi dengan kehadiran Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Ketua Menteri Sabah Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Pemergian Joseph Kurup kehilangan besar buat negara - TPM
Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof menyifatkan mendian Joseph Kurup sebagai pemimpin yang sangat baik dan banyak menyumbang kepada pembangunan Sabah.
Joseph Kurup guru dan sahabat dalam politik - Hajiji
Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor menyifatkan mendian Tan Sri Joseph Kurup sebagai seorang yang sangat banyak berjasa bukan hanya kepada pembangunan Sabah malah mediang dianggap seperti mentornya dalam politik.
Inisiatif bekalan air bersih di pedalaman bakal jadi tumpuan sidang DUN Sarawak
Empat agensi air di bawah Kementerian Utiliti dan Telekomunikasi Sarawak sedang merangka inisiatif bagi memastikan sasaran 100 peratus bekalan air bersih di seluruh Sarawak menjelang 2030 tercapai.
Fenomena 'Alamak Raya Lagi' tarik minat kaum lain bersama raikan Aidilfitri
Lagu 'Alamak Raya Lagi' dendangan kumpulan De Fam terus mencetuskan fenomena apabila sekumpulan gadis berbangsa India turut menjadi tular.
Salleh harap Sabah diberi kuasa autonomi seperti Sarawak
Jelas Datuk Seri Mohd Salleh Mohd Saidisu kritikal membabitkan kesihatan di Sabah akan dapat diselesaikan sekiranya negeri itu diberi kuasa autonomi kesihatan.
Abang Jo kongsi perancangan sarawak di Eropah minggu depan
Premier Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg dijemput sebagai ahli panel dalam Forum Teknologi Hidrogen Eropah dan Forum Penyahkarbonan Eropah Tengah di Poland pada 24-25 April ini.
Kerajaan pandang serius pihak main sentimen rakyat - Asyraf Wajdi
Mesyuarat sepakat agar kerajaan bertindak tegas menurut lunas-lunas perundangan dan tidak berkompromi dengan sebarang tindakan melampau yang boleh menjejaskan kestabilan negara ini.
BN hormati kerusi DUN milik rakan dalam Kerajaan Perpaduan, sokong bakal calon
BN menghormati kerusi DUN Kuala Kubu Baharu yang dimiliki oleh rakan parti dalam Kerajaan Perpaduan dan akan menyokong calon yang dipilih oleh Anwar.
UMNO bertemu akar umbi bagi perkukuhkan parti
Ia bagi memberi penjelasan terhadap isu-isu yang menjadi persoalan buat mereka bagi memperkukuhkan lagi parti itu.
Muhyiddin label kerajaan PH-BN ‘desperado’
Ahli Parlimen Pagoh itu turut mencabar kerajaan isytiharkan enam kerusi Parlimen dan satu kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor dikosongkan.
BN sedia letak calon jika enam kerusi bersatu dikosongkan - Ahmad Zahid
Barisan Nasional (BN) sedia meletakkan calon bagi merebut kembali kerusi disandang Ahli Parlimen Bersatu sekiranya pengosongan enam kerusi berkenaan berlaku.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Rabu, 28 Februari 2024.
Mahkamah tolak rayuan calon BN, Mas Ermieyati kekal Ahli Parlimen Masjid Tanah
Mas Ermieyati kekal Ahli Parlimen Masjid Tanah selepas Mahkamah Persekutuan menolak rayuan calon BN untuk membatalkan kemenangannya dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 (PRU15).
Dewan Tertinggi BN hormat keputusan Lembaga Pengampunan
Dewan Tertinggi Barisan Nasional (BN) menghormati keputusan Lembaga Pengampunan membabitkan bekas Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
'BN-PH adik beradik, runding elok-elok' - Ahmad Zahid
Timbalan Perdana Menteri mengingatkan BN dan PH Perak untuk terus mempertahankan keikhlasan dan persepakatan dalam pentadbiran negeri.
Pertemuan BN Selangor bukan hanya bincang pelantikan Ahli Majlis
UMNO Selangor bincang tawaran yang diberikan oleh Pakatan Harapan Selangor kepada parti berkenaan, pada Jumaat.