With BN’s victory Cameron Highlands victory, a new political formula for the future
Zainal Epi, Malay Mail Online
Barisan Nasional (BN) walked tall last night when it trounced Pakatan Harapan with a convincing majority of 3,238 votes in a fierce political battle that qualifies its return to the country’s mainstream political scene.
On May 9, BN broke down in its most shameful defeat ever that saw its 14-member-coalition bloc reduced to just three parties — Umno, MCA and MIC to pick up the pieces and hold the fort together after losing federal power for the first time.
Umno, which has been embroiled in a leadership crisis for the past few months has found renewed sense and purpose under its acting president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan who succeeded in not only charting a winning strategy in Cameron Highlands but who also struck a strategic alliance with Islamist PAS that the previous leadership had pioneered.
Unlike PH, BN, through years of experience in its dealings with the Orang Asli community there, was more refined in the Cameron Highlands by-election and won over the community’s support.
It also deftly utilised the issue of race and religion there, and in effect managed to strike an effective alliance with PAS.
PH on the other hand simply could not find much to attack BN’s Orang Asli candidate Ramli Mohd Nor.
The Chinese in towns of Brinchang, Tanah Rata and Ringlet voted for Pakatan just as in the May 9 general election, while the Malays in Felda settlements in Jelai and Sungai Koyan and the Orang Asli around Jelai, Sungai Koyan and villages from Ringlet right up to Kg Raja voted for BN.
Added with PAS’ 3,600-odd loyal followers who “marched” for BN in name of Islam and Malays, it is not a surprise that BN polled nearly five times more than its May 9 majority of just 500-odd plus.
What is at stake for PH’s future now is whether its loss will be the beginning of a losing streak in future by-elections in the state seat of Semenyih in Selangor and Rantau in Negri Sembilan.
Whether or not the Cameron Highlands defeat is a domino in the making is uncertain but one thing is for sure — BN’s Mohamad will likely enhance and strengthen the cooperation and collaboration with PAS which may create a new political formula in the country’s future political landscape.
