YOURSAY | 'A more realistic indication would be for Umno to capture a majority Harapan seat.'

Chini win shows BN still accepted by the people, says Zahid

The Wakandan: Chini is a traditional Umno/BN seat. This victory by Umno is expected. The good side of the by-election is that the people were given a chance to speak and they have spoken. So be it.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is right, in the sense that their supporters there did not leave them. They did not change their minds but continued to support Umno. But this is just in Chini. Malaysian geography and demography are much more diverse.

So the Chini win, while indicating that Umno still has its support there, which is an encouraging thing for them, it nevertheless does not speak for the other constituencies around the country.

A more realistic indication would be for Umno to capture a majority Pakatan Harapan seat – then perhaps we interpret that as a trend in voter sentiment.

Thus Tanjung Piai, where BN candidate Wee Jeck Seng from MCA received 25,466 votes for a majority of 15,086 over Harapan’s Karmaine Sardini from Bersatu, who received 10,380 votes, was a good indicator about the voters’ mentality.

Bobby0: That an independent candidate without doing much campaigning could still gather votes against the onslaught of the full force of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) machinery and money shows that there is dissatisfaction even in the rural areas.

What would have happened if there was an even fight? So, Zahid, do not be overjoyed. If you seriously think that the voters have returned to BN, then why don’t you call for a general election?

Tanjung Piai was returned to the BN and it showed that you cannot take voters for granted because they will speak through the ballot box.

Mazilamani: I agree that Umno is still liked by Malay voters. I also see this win by BN as generosity on the part of the Malay voters in Chini. This is their way of demanding positive reformatory changes in Umno.

Or this could be translated as a call for a total clean-up of corrupt and exploitative leaders in the party. The Malay community still has a fond love for the party.

A positive change in Umno leadership will affect similar changes in the community. Just like what party deputy president Mohamad Hasan, or “Tok Mat”, said. They should start looking for and giving prominence to younger and more capable leaders.

The senior leaders of the party can still continue to contest in general elections, but they must stay behind the screen to serve as mentors.

They should endeavour to serve as true mentors, unlike some senior politicians that we all know about. Umno should start serving the rakyat again.

LTJ: How can Zahid say that just because BN won in Chini that they are still accepted by the people? Did he mean to say Malaysia has 20,000 people?

What about the other 30 million of us? Can he remind us which is the coalition that has lost the popular vote for two general elections in a row?

Eddie: This by-election was in Pekan and the results turned out just as you would expect in the East Coast states, where the people are poor, backward, uneducated and easily manipulated. That’s what Umno and PAS are doing to the unfortunate people there.

Where else in the world can you find people still wanting to vote for thieves and kleptocrats who steal their money?

They cannot comprehend what the thieves have done and the consequences on their lives, their future and the future generations

Anonymous_3f4b: @Eddie, you are wrong. Don’t think that the people in the East Coast states are “poor, backward, uneducated and easily manipulated”.

In fact, they are much cleverer and richer, if not in substance, then in spirit. They are aware and discerning in the local circumstances much better than you think and definitely much better than you.

Newday: There are zero reasons for Zahid or anyone else in this non-elected government to crow about. The locals are already indoctrinated to vote for you lot. That’s the truth, no more, no less.

As one of the commenters suggested, urban seats are a completely different proposition. You win a marginal urban seat, then you can start crowing.

PurpleOrca1561: Why are BN politicians dramatising this issue? Even if a dog stood there with a BN ticket, it would have won the by-election.

The whole campaign period was 99 percent one-sided and if you had still lost this, then it will be a great embarrassment for you. So just shut up and serve the people, without any thieving.

Cocomomo: ‘Shiok sendiri’ (self-praise). The turnout for the by-election dropped compared to GE14 and yet Zahid can claim that the corrupt BN is still accepted by the people.

Persons of integrity in Umno and BN should reform their parties. Move away from corruption, racism, and religious bigotry.

FairMind: We should blame Harapan for this as they did not go down to the ground to educate the rural Malay masses. Rather, they spent their time squabbling over who should become the prime minister.

Milshah: @FairMind, who is the Harapan leader? Shouldn’t he galvanise Harapan to do this? From Chini, we know the Malays have shifted back to BN. Harapan has lost the Malays.

So Anwar Ibrahim, as the chosen leader of Harapan, what do you suggest your coalition to do? Your supporters know how to pin blame only. There will be nothing good coming from that.

Clever Voter: This entire “parliamentary democracy” has been a scam. The Chini by-election win can only give good feelings to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s regime.

Now, logic should compel him to call for a snap election to increase his majority.

J Ramiah: There were no proper competitors in the by-elections, so of course you would win it all. Would you call this a landslide win, Zahid? Would you call a vote of confidence of the people for BN?

Do you realise that those days of big wins are gone forever and BN is no more in the comfort zone?

Don’t try to manipulate the situation as Chini is a Malay-majority seat and has been mostly under BN for over 60 years now.

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