Umno members in Johor are being praised for not sabotaging the party in the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections, according to a state Umno leader.
Johor Umno information chief Datuk Md Jais Sarday stated that while there was a shift of Malay votes to Perikatan Nasional, the overall victory in the Pulai and Simpang Jeram seats demonstrated the loyalty of most Umno members and their adherence to the party’s principles.
“Those who did not wish to vote for the Pakatan Harapan candidates simply chose not to come out and vote. This is evident from the low voter turnout, which was 47.33% for Pulai and 60.85% in Simpang Jeram,” he explained to The Star.
In GE15, voter turnout in Pulai was 71%, while 53.4% of voters participated in the state elections last year.
Md Jais highlighted that these results reveal the people’s determination to prevent the anticipated “green wave” from infiltrating Johor.
“Although Johor may not have as many sekolah pondok as Kedah, Kelantan, or Terengganu, our religious schools instill proper Islamic values. We do not utilize religion to pass judgment on people or promise them entry into heaven based on their support for a particular political party,” stated Md Jais, who also serves as the Johor Barisan Nasional information chief.
Jais emphasized that Umno should not become complacent due to these two victories for the unity government, but instead, should redouble their efforts by engaging directly with the Malay voters, especially Umno members, to educate them about how the unity government functions and Umno’s cooperation with DAP.
“Perikatan has been employing emotions and sentiments to sway Malay voters,” he remarked.
“It is now time to explain to members the new political narrative of collaboration within the unity government.”
In the Pulai constituency, Pakatan’s Suhaizan Kayat secured victory with an 18,641 vote majority, obtaining a total of 48,283 votes, while Perikatan Nasional’s Zulkifli Jaafar received 29,642 votes.
Meanwhile, in Simpang Jeram, Pakatan emerged victorious with a 3,514 majority. Nazri Abdul Rahman from Pakatan obtained 13,844 votes, whereas Perikatan’s Dr Mohd Mazri Yahya garnered 10,330 votes.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
