HULU SELANGOR, May 12 — Pakatan Harapan candidate Pang Sock Tao’s victory in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election yesterday is a clear signal that the people want to be represented by a state assemblyman aligned with both the state and Federal governments, said political analysts.
They attributed her success partly to the excellent track record of Pang’s late predecessor, Lee Kee Hiong, which proves that the people have confidence in the Unity Government and want development continuity.
Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Associate Professor Awang Azman Awang Pawi said the voters believe that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari had brought political stability, economic prosperity, and harmony, which greatly contributed to Pang’s success.
“The voters are confident that the Federal government led by Anwar and the Selangor state government led by Amirudin can steer the country and state to greater heights,” he told Bernama yesterday.
Awang said attempts by certain parties urging the Indian community to boycott the by-election seemed to have failed, proving that voters were wise in rejecting campaigns using the 3R (race, religion, and royalty) sentiments.
Universiti Teknologi Mara Kedah’s Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies senior lecturer Jazimin Zakaria said the Unity Government candidate’s resounding win demonstrates the maturity of voters in evaluating issues raised by the Opposition during the campaign.
“The voters wisely evaluated the issues raised by the Opposition as non-critical, including matters related to vernacular education, when what the people want is simply balance in the political landscape of the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Social Studies political sociology senior lecturer Professor Datuk Sivamurugan Pandian believes that factors like having a good educational background, experience in government administration and politics, and having good relations with the Federal and state governments contributed to Pang’s victory.
“Another factor contributing to Harapan’s success is the unity and commitment of all parties in the Unity Government coalition who campaigned for the Unity Government candidate,” he said.
Pang won with a majority of 3,869 votes in the four-cornered fight, beating Khairul Azhari Saut (Perikatan Nasional), Hafizah Zainuddin (Parti Rakyat Malaysia), and Nyau Ke Xin (Independent).
— Bernama
