KUCHING, 19 Jan 2009: The outcome of the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election, which saw PAS wresting the seat from the Barisan Nasional (BN), should not be used as a benchmark in any election, including the state election due in 2011, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said today.
Taib, who is also Sarawak BN chair, said it was not easy to make general recommendations from one event, including the need to rebrand the BN to win the hearts and minds of the people.
“There is no such thing as a benchmark in any election and, judging by the results, although the BN lost, the votes for the BN were quite high in spite of the fact that many people tell me that the candidate was not well chosen or popular among the electorate,” he told reporters after presenting the Sarawak ICT Media Awards 2008 to winners at his office here.
In the by-election on 18 Jan, Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut of PAS garnered 32,883 votes, defeating the BN’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh by 2,631 votes, while independent candidate Azharudin Mamat @ Adam obtained only 193 votes.
The by-election was held following the death of incumbent Datuk Razali Ismail of the BN, who retained the seat with a slim majority of 628 votes in the 8 March general election last year. — Bernama
