KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar’s success in winning the Kemaman Parliamentary seat, which is a stronghold of PAS, isn’t extraordinary, says the Political Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim.

He also brushed aside PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan’s statement that Ahmad Samsuri’s victory yesterday was the people’s referendum in favour of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.

"Winning in one’s own stronghold is not extraordinary. (Barisan Nasional’s victory in) Pelangai previously was not counted as a referendum either. It would be different if they (PN) won in Subang (for example),” he said on X, tonight.

Muhammad Kamil also hoped that Ahmad Samsuri would be a catalyst for opposition members of Parliament to be more effective, as the latter’s supporters had high hopes for him.

Yesterday, PAS retained the Kemaman seat after Ahmad Samsuri won the Parliamentary by-election, obtaining 64,998 votes to defeat Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor (27,778 votes). — Bernama