Sibu result an eye-opener for BN, says Soi Lek
By Clara Choo, The Malaysian Insider
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has called on the government to take heed of the Sibu by-election result which he described as an “eye-opener” for the Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said the government could no longer hide from the fact that there were issues plaguing the Chinese community that can no longer be swept under the carpet.
“The result of the recently concluded Sibu by-election is an eye opener for the BN to take stock of its weaknesses and to review its approach towards issues, policies and other matters close to the people’s hearts.
“BN must take heed of the by-election result and analyse its implications,” he said in a statement here this evening.
Dr Chua advised the government to listen to the grievances of Chinese voters in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia and ask itself whether the issues confronting the community had been addressed with urgency.
He also said that the MCA, which is a Chinese-based party like SUPP, needed to reform itself in order to remain relevant.
BN saw its first by-election loss in East Malaysia during yesterday’s polls in Sibu when SUPP’s Robert Lau Hui Yew polled 18,447 votes against DAP Wong Ho Leng’s 18,845 votes.
DAP’s victory margin was a narrow 398 votes.
Independent Narawi Haron polled 232 votes.
When contacted, MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said one of the reasons behind BN’s loss was the DAP’s fervent use of controversial issues like the Allah and Al-Kitab rows.
“They used a lot of tactics that actually worked to instigate the people, pushing them to vote against the BN and making them angry,” he said.
