Penanti result a referendum on Najib’s administration

By Neville Spykerman, The Malaysian Insider

Despite Barisan Nasional (BN) skipping Penanti, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang said PKR candidate Dr Mansor Othman’s bigger majority in the by-election was a slap in the face for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.

He described the by-election as a virtual contest between Pakatan Rakyat and BN, saying the opposition pact’s fifth consecutive victory in the peninsula was another referendum on Najib’s leadership, following the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections on May 7.

“I call on the prime minister to review his policies.” said the Ipoh Timur MP, who had denounced Najib over the weekend when police questioned him on allegedly seditious statements made against the prime minister during the election campaign.

Kit Siang pointed out the outcome of the vote would have been the same even if Umno-BN had contested, saying this was the reason why they stayed away from the contest.

BN leaders said the low turnout was due to people’s intolerance to more politicking, adding it justified their boycott.

Despite the historic low turnout of just 46.15 per cent in yesterday’s by-election, Mansor still had a huge majority of 5,558 votes.

Based on Lim’s calculations, Mansor would have won with an even larger majority if Umno had contested, assuming voter turnout was at 80 per cent. It was 82.13 per cent in the general election in March 2008.

Lim also hit out at the police for their harassment and intimidation during the by-election, decribing his questioning by police on sedition claims as a form of intimidation, with the report being made by a police officer instead of the public.

Kit Siang said the police officer had abused his power and the DAP will lodge a police report against him.