KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today accepted his coalition’s resounding defeat in yesterday’s Mahkota by-election by over 20,000 votes.
While he said the message from Johor voters was clear, he called on his allies in PN and his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) members to knuckle down immediately to improve their electoral performance for the future.
“PN respects the choice of the voters of DUN Mahkota in line with the spirit of democracy.
“InsyaAllah, PN and Bersatu, in particular, will rise again with a stronger spirit to achieve victory in the democratic arena,” he posted on his Facebook page this afternoon.
The Pagoh MP also thanked the voters who supported the PN candidate Mohamad Haizan Jaafar and its campaigners for putting in their “time, energy, and resources” for the by-election.
The Mahkota state seat was a straight fight between PN and Barisan Nasional (BN).
BN representative Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah garnered 27,995 votes, easily besting the former footballer sent by PN who received only 7,347 votes.
PN Mahkota election director Datuk Seri Azmin Ali attributed his coalition’s defeat to contesting in enemy territory as Johor is under BN rule, Berita Harian reported earlier today.
“Our candidate, Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, was well-received by the voters; however, it cannot be denied that Umno and BN’s success is attributed to their utilisation of all available resources,” Azmin was quoted as saying.
He noted that yesterday’s voter turnout also had an impact on the election result.
“Yesterday, the turnout dropped to below 54 percent.
“If around 50 percent turnout is recorded, it is a serious matter that demands attention from all parties,” Azmin was quoted as saying.
