KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — The win by Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, the ousted mentri besar of Perak, in lastnight's by-election in Bukit Gantang will likely place additional pressure on the Barisan Nasional state government, say some political analysts.The by-election was widely perceived to be a referendum of sorts on whether Pakatan Rakyat's Nizar or BN's Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir, who was sworn in by the Sultan of Perak in February, is the people's choice.
"The result will increase pressure on the present state government to deliver on their promises because in some ways, the Bukit Gantang by-election is a referendum on who the people of Perak want as the state government," says Ibrahim Suffian of Merdeka Centre, a political science and economics research firm. "The margin of victory is a validation that the state votes for the Pakatan Rakyat remain intact and if a statewide election is held, the results will be similar."
Tony Pua, DAP's national publicity secretary, says that the election results are an endorsement of the ousted Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak and that the nearly 100 per cent increase in the margin of victory is a message for new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that Perakians want the assembly dissolved for fresh elections."It is high time, as a new prime minister, to do the right thing for democracy in Malaysia by ensuring that the people of Perak get a government they have themselves elected," said Pua in a media release, referring to Najib's statement that he wanted to build a democracy responsive to the people’s needs.
PR won with a majority of 2,789 votes compared with 1,566 in last year's general election.
Courtesy: The Malaysian Insider
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