Amid the gloom in the opposition camp with the loss in Galas, there is already alarming talk of a succession plan for Nik Aziz and the state leadership for their failure to hold on to the seat.

This is alarming because other than Anwar Ibrahim, the other Malay that is most hated by Umno and their supporters is none other than PAS' Mursyidul Am. In PAS, the Mursyidul Am has more clout than the president and everyone knows that the Tok Guru has been the single biggest stumbling block in PAS to Umno's unity plans.

The opposition shouldn't read too much read in the Galas loss. It should be pointed out that this by-election is no ordinary one because of the Ku Li factor. 

In the overall scheme of things, a win for either side will not tip the balance either way in terms of  state control, but a loss for Umno will surely have spelt the political end for the Kelantan prince.

This will be a major blow for politics in our country as Ku Li has been the lone voice of late in Umno who has been vocal in condemning the excesses of the present administration. He has even gone against federal wishes in fighting for Kelantan's oil royalties.

Whether the above implications made some of the voters vote for Umno this time, or even with the bought votes or phantom voters, it really doesn't matter: this result has worked out very well for Kelantan and even the rest of the country.  

Who knows he may even be the perfect choice to close ranks and present an acceptable unity PM come the next GE.