PETALING JAYA, July 6 — Two PAS leaders tonight celebrated the opposition’s win in the Sungai Bakap by-election, citing it as a rejection of government policies and economic mismanagement. Party president Abdul Hadi Awang stated that Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) victory was achieved despite a “disabled democratic process and rampant political corruption.” In the by-election held today, PN candidate Abidin Ismail of PAS was elected the new state assemblyman for Sungai Bakap, retaining the seat with a larger majority.
Abidin secured 14,489 votes, leading by 4,267 votes over his PH opponent, Joohari Ariffin of PKR, who obtained 10,222 votes. Hadi emphasized that the result was a clear signal of the people’s rejection of Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional’s failure in managing the economy. PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari echoed this sentiment, pointing to the voters’ dissatisfaction with recent policies, including the diesel subsidy scheme, and the state government’s handling of infrastructure projects.
