PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has downplayed claims that the targeted diesel subsidy scheme was solely responsible for the unity government’s loss in the recent Sungai Bakap by-election.
The Economy Minister argued that if the subsidy scheme had been a significant factor, Perikatan Nasional (PN) would have seen an increase in Malay votes.
“But it didn’t. It remained the same as last year, even before the targeted diesel subsidy scheme was implemented. We are exactly where we were one year ago,” he stated.
Speaking to reporters after an investment forum on the special economic zone between Malaysia and Singapore, Rafizi emphasised the need to examine the by-election results in “totality” before identifying the actual reasons for the loss.
“It is still too early to conclude anything as the parameters are still unclear,” he said, adding that he believed the outcome was due to a “mixture” of several reasons.
In the by-election held last Saturday (July 6), PN’s candidate Abidin Ismail of PAS secured 14,489 votes, achieving a majority of 4,267 votes over his Pakatan Harapan (PH) opponent, Joohari Ariffin of PKR, who polled 10,222 votes.
The majority PN achieved on July 6 was larger than the one recorded in the state elections in August last year.
On the night of PH’s defeat, the coalition’s state chairman Chow Kon Yeow suggested that discontent with rising costs and government policies, including subsidies, were believed to be among the factors behind the loss as well as the lower voter turnout. – July 10, 2024
