KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional’s victory in the Nenggiri state by-election on Saturday proves that the people of Kelantan are beginning to accept the political partnership under the unity government, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister described the win as a reflection of the public’s increasing alignment with the wave of change under the government, in line with recent signs of economic progress.
“This victory will serve as a morale boost for the Madani government to persist in safeguarding the people’s welfare and elevating the nation’s prosperity to new heights,” he said in a Facebook post, Bernama reported.
Anwar congratulated Barisan candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani, 38, also known as “Awie”, for his victory.
In a stunning upset, Mohd Azmawi recaptured the seat from Perikatan Nasional by a winning majority of 3,352 votes.
It is the first by-election since the 15th General Election in 2022 where a seat has changed hands.
The Kelantan Umno Youth chief polled 9,091 votes to beat PAS candidate Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, representing Perikatan, who got 5,739 votes.
Pakatan Harapan, which Anwar heads, is allied with Barisan in the unity government alliance.
Another Pakatan leader, Fahmi Fadzil, said the results showed a rejection of the divisive politics of Perikatan, which has been accused of playing up religious sentiments during the by-election campaign.
“This result proves that the youth continue to support the unity government, particularly Barisan, as almost all polling centres saw it winning convincingly.
“The impressive majority clearly shows that the people understand the efforts of the government, and they are beginning to feel what the unity government is doing,” the government spokesman said after distributing Jalur Gemilang at the PPR Kerinchi morning market here yesterday.
“This also serves as a referendum on the Kelantan government and the PAS party leadership,” Fahmi said.
He added that the victory would increase the momentum for Barisan and unity government parties to defend the Mahkota state seat in Johor, which is facing a by-election next month.
