Too soon to say Malays back with Umno - party VP on polls win

It is too early to conclude that Malay support is back with Umno despite the recent Nenggiri by-election win, said Umno vice-president Johari Abdul Ghani.

“It’s too early for us to make such a conclusion but our victory in Nenggiri is a sign that we must continue with our efforts (to regain support).

“Because one win doesn’t mean we now have control of the whole Kelantan. It’s not right.

“However, the one win signifies that if we are united and work towards strengthening the party, insya-Allah, victory will be ours,” Utusan Malaysia reported him as saying today.

On Aug 17, BN’s Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani defeated Perikatan Nasional’s Mohd Rizwadi Ismail by 9,091 votes to 5,739 in the Nenggiri by-election.

It was PN’s biggest defeat as it was their worst by-election performance since the 15th general election.

The Kelantan legislative assembly has 45 seats, with PAS holding 37, Bersatu holding five, Umno now having two, and Amanah with one.

Subsequently, BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said a wind of change was blowing in Kelantan.

“Without intending to be arrogant or boastful, we believe that if external elements are claiming that Umno is no longer relevant, the results in Nenggiri show otherwise.

“Because we know that Kelantan has been governed, for three decades, by a party that promises heaven but fails to solve basic problems,” the deputy prime minister was reported as saying.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, said the win signalled the Kelantan people’s acceptance of the coalition government.

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