YONG PENG: Barisan Nasional has retained the Yong Peng state seat after MCA's Ling Tian Soon defeated Pakatan Harapan's Yong Hui Yi by a 4,603-vote majority.
Returning officer Norman Noh announced the official results at about 9.15pm on Saturday, declaring Ling the winner with 13,630 votes against Yong's 9,027 votes.
A total of 22,657 votes were cast, with voter turnout recorded at 67.38%.
Speaking to reporters after his victory was announced, Ling said the higher voter turnout, which rose by almost 13 percentage points from the 2022 state election, was encouraging.
He said the more than 4,000-vote increase he received compared with the last election reflected the people's recognition of his service in Yong Peng.
"This shows that the people of Yong Peng recognise the efforts and work I have put in here over the years.
"I have received the message from the people of Yong Peng, and I will work even harder to serve this area and bring about the changes that they expect," he said.
Ling said he remained committed to fulfilling the 10 pledges he had made and acknowledged that not everyone had voted for him.
"There are also voters who supported the opposing side, and that is fine. Yong Peng as a community must be rebuilt. We must restore the stable, harmonious, happy and united spirit that we had in the past," he said.
He added that the results showed Johoreans continued to embrace the Bangsa Johor spirit, valuing unity, harmony and stability.
On MCA's overall performance, Ling said the party was grateful for the support shown by voters, particularly the Chinese community, and would continue its reform agenda by giving more capable and committed members the opportunity to serve.
MCA vice-president Datuk Lawrence Low said the results showed that voters had given Barisan Nasional and MCA a strong mandate, describing the outcome as recognition of the coalition's service and track record.
He said MCA had improved on its previous performance in Johor and would continue working to fulfil its promises to voters.
In the 2022 Johor state election, Ling won the Yong Peng seat with 9,870 votes, defeating Pakatan Harapan's Tee Boon Tsong and Perikatan Nasional's Yong Fui Ling by a 2,741-vote majority.
