Pakatan scores big in Penang

All done: Lim casting his vote at SMJK Chung Hwa Confucian in Seri Delima.

GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Harapan registered its biggest win ever in Penang after it won 37 of the 40 state seats and 11 of the 13 parliamentary seats.

The Penaga state seat was won by Mohd Yusni Mat Piah of PAS, who obtained 8,530 votes against Mohd Zain Ahmad of Barisan Nasional, who polled 7,398 votes.

The Permatang Berangan and Sungai Dua state seats were won by Nor Hafizah Othman and Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor of Barisan.

Official results showed that Nor Hafizah obtained 6,870 votes, Mohd Sobri Saleh of PAS obtained 6,224 votes while Mohd Shariff Omar of Pakatan received 5,021 votes.

Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican of Barisan retained the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat, polling 22,459 votes.

His opponents Dr Zaidi Zakaria of Pakatan obtained 17,723 votes and Siti Mastura Muhammad of PAS got 12,120 votes.

For the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seat, incumbent Shabudin Yahaya of Barisan won by a mere 81 votes.

He polled 18,547 votes while Marzuki Yahaya of Pakatan obtained 18,466 votes and Rizal Hafiz Ruslan of PAS got 14,891 votes.

In GE13, Pakatan won 30 state and 10 parliamentary seats.

State Barisan chairman Teng Chang Yeow, who lost to Pakatan’s Zairil Khir Johari in the Tanjong Bunga state seat, announced that he would retire from politics.

Official results showed that Zairil obtained 13,245 votes compared to Teng’s 3,902.

Incumbent Balik Pulau MP Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya, who had never lost since the 1990 general election, was defeated by PKR’s Muhammad Bakh­tiar Wan Chik by 6,698 votes. Muhammad Imran Muhammad Sa’ad of PAS obtained 5,298 votes.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng thanked the people for Pakatan’s victory during a press conference at a hotel here at about 11pm.

“We have enough numbers to form the state government.

“I would like to thank all party workers who contributed their time and energy to ensure a Pakatan victory,” he added.

Many of the DAP candidates won with a bigger majority compared to the last election.

Gerakan, MCA and MIC lost in all the seats they contested for the third time since the 2008 elections.

Teng said official results showed that Barisan suffered an even worse defeat than in GE13.

“So far, there is indication that we have only won the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat,” he told reporters at the state Gerakan headquarters at about 10pm.

Commenting on the much talked-about Malay tsunami for GE14, Teng said: “I think by now, I have to agree that a Malay tsunami has arrived. It was probably not just a Malay tsunami, but a Malaysia tsunami.”