HULU SELANGOR, May 11 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) has tonight conceded its defeat in the Kuala Kubu Baru state by-election after Pakatan Harapan (PH) declared its victory.
The pact's deputy chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said that PN accepts the defeat with an open heart, but claimed that support for it in certain voting district centres in the constituency rose.
"We accept this decision with an open heart and we are determined to continue all our efforts and God willing, we will be back in Kuala Kubu Baru.
"We have seen this trend of increasing support before. So much support from young people for PN. This means support will increase over time," he told reporters in a brief press conference here.
Ahmad Faizal said he is confident that PN will soon take over other states such as Perak if the trend continues.
The Election Commission (EC) has since confirmed that Pang won the seat with a 3,869-vote majority.
The voter turnout stood at 61.51 per cent, ranking among the lowest for by-elections following the 15th general election.
With the voter turnout today hovering around 60 per cent, Ahmad Faizal said the coalition will work harder in the future to get voters out to the ballot box.
“In terms of the relatively low voting percentage, about 61 per cent, we will continue to work in the future to ensure it is higher and be the reason for our victory,” he said.
He denied that PN had been a victim of any boycott, suggesting instead that the question should instead be directed to PH.
“They recorded a lower support for themselves. So it's more towards them than us,” he said, referring to PH's slight decline in majority votes.
Meanwhile, PN candidate Khairul Azhari Saut said winning candidate Pang Sock Tao should hit the ground running as soon as possible.
“We know that throughout the campaign, I met the residents and received many complaints. There are pending complaints, so to the winning candidate, keep your promises,” he briefly said, appearing disappointed in the result.
A total of 39,269 voters were eligible to cast their ballots today after early voting on Tuesday which saw 97 per cent or 769 police and military personnel and their spouses casting their ballots.
The Kuala Kubu Baru seat fell vacant following the death of its three-term assemblyman, Lee Kee Hiong, on March 21 from cancer.
In the state election in August last year, Lee beat candidates from PeN, Parti Rakyat Malaysia and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) by a majority of 4,119 votes.
