Victory in Mahkota by-election shows growing public confidence in the unity government

KUALA LUMPUR: The victory of Barisan Nasional (BN), which fielded a candidate from the unity government in the Mahkota State Assembly By-Election (PRK), and fully commitment from Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who leads the BN delegation, together with Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi indicates that the public is increasingly confident in the current government.

According to the Wilayahku portal, UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin stated that this is all a result of the efforts of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has shown that the unity government has many “feel good factors.”

He noted several positive factors, such as the strengthening of the Ringgit, rising share market values, and increasing palm oil prices, all indicating that the country’s economy is improving.

“We want to congratulate the Prime Minister for navigating various disputes and successfully bringing the country to a relatively stable environment in terms of economic growth.

“These may be new developments, but if they continue, the public will feel that this government is ‘on the right track’,” he said.

In the Mahkota by-election held yesterday, BN won convincingly, securing a majority of 20,648 votes, four times greater than the 5,166 votes in the 2022 State Election.

BN candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah received 27,995 votes, while his opponent, Haizan Jaafar from Perikatan Nasional, garnered only 7,347 votes.

Meanwhile, Sharkar mentioned that the results also indicate that military and police voters have returned their support to BN this time.

He said this reflects the confidence of civil servants in the unity government.

“This shows their trust in a government that fulfills its promises, especially after recently increasing civil servant salaries.

“Voters in Mahkota believe that Syed Hussien is the best candidate. They want a stable government.

“Syed Hussien also serves as a bridge between the federal and state governments,” he said.

According to Sharkar, BN should not be overly joyful about the victory in the Mahkota by-election.

He pointed out that this caution is due to the low voter turnout of 53.84 percent in the Mahkota by-election.

This by-election was held following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, on August 2.