A TALE OF TWO ELECTION RESULTS
Lesson in unity from Sabak and Baling
KASSIM Jusoh’s eyes were glued to the giant screen at the ground floor of the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here as Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak delivered his winding-up speech at the party’s annual general assembly yesterday.
His face was beaming when Najib spoke, reminding party leaders and delegates to unite and avoid internal sabotage in the 14th General Election (GE14) for the sake of the party.
Najib stressed that party leaders must do justice to members who never fancied any position or contracts.
Kassim, who came here all the way from Baling, Kedah, smiled as Najib made it clear that the party could not afford to be divided by the choice of candidates for GE14 as they would be doing injustice to party loyalists who were following the assembly outside the Merdeka Hall.
At 68, Kassim could not agree more with Najib as he had gone through ups and downs with the party through the years.
“Umno’s biggest threat is from within, not outside,” said the party veteran from Kuala Ketil.
Kassim said it was unity that awarded Barisan Nasional victory in the Baling parliamentary seat in the last general election, when Datuk Abdul Azeez Rahim defeated Pas candidate Najmi Ahmad.
Azeez won with a 5,185 majority after losing to Pas Dewan Ulama leader Taib Azamuddin Md Taib by 7,613 votes in GE12 five years earlier.
“Azeez did not give up and reorganised his machinery in Baling.
“Despite losing in GE12, he continued to serve the people in Baling, including those who did not vote for him.
“He put up a united and well-organised machinery, and with the right strategy, it paid off when BN won the Baling seat in 2013,” he said.
It was a different case for Sabak Bernam Umno division when it lost the Sabak state seat in the previous general election to Pas, despite retaining the parliamentary seat and the Sungai Air Tawar state seat.
Its division committee member, Norazah Abdul Aziz, admitted that it was an internal crisis over the choice of party candidate that led to Umno losing the seat to Pas.
“There was a silent protest among some of the party members when their preferred candidate was not picked and we ended up losing significant votes,” said Norazah.
Umno lost the seat by 399 votes to Pas’s Sallehen Mukhyi.
“We have learnt a bitter lesson and we are better organised this time around.
“I believe if Umno members in the constituency accept the party leadership’s decision on the candidates, we can wrest the Sabak seat from Pas,” she said.
Universiti Utara Malaysia political analyst Associate Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said the tale of the two results in Baling and Sabak Bernam affirmed the party leadership’s concern about the threat of internal sabotage.
He said Pas had lost the Baling seat to BN because the latter put up a united machinery, while Pas members were divided at the time.
“The issue of internal sabotage is nothing new,” he said.
The delegates had given a resounding support to the party leadership at the conclusion of the general assembly yesterday before they marched to the toughest battlefield ever.
It is up to party members whether they will stay true to the pledge.