Malaysia’s ruling coalition wins Kelantan by-election, in boost for PM Anwar
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Umno candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani (third right), secured 61.3 per cent of the valid votes, according to the Election Commission.
PHOTO: BERNAMA
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KUALA LUMPUR - A member party within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s governing alliance wrested a state seat in a Kelantan by-election on Aug 17 from rival Perikatan Nasional (PN), in a boost for the Malaysian leader who has been struggling to win back Malay voters.
The rural Nenggiri seat in PN’s stronghold state of Kelantan was held by Umno since it was created in 2003, but was lost by just 810 votes in the August 2023 state election. Umno is a member party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, one of the organisations under Datuk Seri Anwar’s “unity government”.
This time round, Umno won by 3,352 votes, with 14,560 ballots cast and a voter turnout of about 74 per cent.
Umno candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani, 38, secured 9,091 votes, or 61.3 per cent of the valid votes, according to the Election Commission late on polling day.
His rival Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, 41, from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) – one of PN’s component parties – garnered 5,739 votes, or 39.7 per cent of the votes.
Malaysia’s by-elections are often used as quick barometers of the popularity of the government or the opposition. The by-election in the Malay-majority Nenggiri ward took on added importance after Datuk Seri Anwar’s alliance lost badly in another Malay-majority seat, Sungai Bakap in Penang,
Nenggiri had 20,259 voters this year – 85.9 per cent are Malays, 0.2 per cent Chinese, and 13.8 per cent from other ethnic groups, including a large number of the indigenous Orang Asli.
The remote Nenggiri ward is located beside the Taman Negara rainforest park and surrounded by beautiful, lush green limestone hills. It is about three hours by road from both the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu, the Kelantan state capital.
A reflection of its rural location was seen when the constituency’s first ATM (automated teller machine) was installed by the government during the two-week campaigning period. The nearest KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway and McDonald’s outlets are located 16km away in Gua Musang town.
For this by-election, Umno was helped by its ability to capitalise on local voter fatigue against the Kelantan leadership led by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) that has been ruling the state since 1990, said Universiti Malaya sociopolitical analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi. PAS and Bersatu are key members of PN.
“The victory can be credited to Umno’s strategic alliances with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and the leadership of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who went six times to Nenggiri and addressed voter concerns on a more localised level,” he told The Straits Times.
The media had reported Nenggiri residents complaining on Aug 5 about the lack of an ATM in the ward. The villagers said they were forced to pay RM50 (S$15) return taxi fare to travel 50km to withdraw cash from Gua Musang or Dabong towns.
In response, the Finance Ministry discussed with banks to resolve the issue, with an ATM installed just three days before polling day in a local market.
“With Nenggiri being one of the most inland state constituencies in the Peninsula, the by-election is very much local focused… The ATM is a clear indicator of change, much like some small towns see having a McDonald’s or Starbucks as a sign of modernisation,” Sunway University political scientist, Professor Wong Chin Huat, told ST.
A major issue raised during the two-week campaigning was the existence of the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) in the Anwar-led government. PN attacked Umno for allowing DAP to “dominate the government”.
Reinforcing the claim, PN chief Muhyiddin Yassin urged the government to look at the lifting of the ban against a controversial comic book by former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau.
Then Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin in 2019 banned the pro-China comic titled “Belt And Road Initiative For Win-Winism” by Mr Hew, due to the “communist and socialist elements”.
But PM Anwar’s government on Aug 6 lifted the comic ban after Malaysia’s apex court upheld a ruling that quashed the outlawing of the publication in December 2022.
The DAP itself stayed away from the Nenggiri campaigning so as not to be attacked by PN. The move was done to avoid “affecting the winning chance for BN”, a DAP leader told ST.
Umno president Zahid is expected to use the victory in Nenggiri as a war cry to say that the Malay party has reclaimed its dignity, after Umno badly lost in the 2018 and 2022 general elections, and in the 2023 polls involving six states including Kelantan. Mr Zahid will face the leaders of his party at its annual general assembly in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 21 to 24.
Associate Professor Awang predicted that Mr Zahid may advance the narrative that cooperation with PH is beneficial for Umno for the next general election.
“The victory provides tangible evidence that the partnership with PH can deliver results, which could help solidify his leadership and strategy within the party,” the academic added.
