GE14 results anticlimax for BN MPs
MIRI: There is an air of disbelief here with the reversal of role played by BN members of parliament of the constituencies in this northern part of Sarawak following the results of the 14th general election (GE14) on May 9.
They now find themselves in the opposition but the opposite is true for the re-elected Miri MP from PKR as he is now in the ruling federal government.
BN kept the predominantly Bumiputera seats of Lawas, Limbang, Baram and Sibuti but failed in its second attempt to wrest Miri seat.
BN initially celebrated the success in defending its four seats but later found out that it had failed to recapture Miri from PKR, a component party of Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The euphoria turned to despair when PH won 122 of the 222 parliamentary seats at stake, paving the way for a change in government for the first time since independences from the British in 1957.
All the incumbents - Datuk Henry Sum Agong (Lawas-PBB), Hasbi Habibolah (Limbang-PBB), Anyi Ngau (Baram-PDP) - and new comer Lukanisman Awang Sauni (Sibuti) won with comfortable majority while SUPP's secretarygeneral Datuk Sebastian Ting Chew Yew lost again to PKR's Dr Micheal Teo Yu Kheng in Miri.
Ting tried in vain to take back the seat, finding himself swimming against the tide of change from across the South China Sea despite the controversial choice of Dr Teo as PH candidate.
Dr Teo won with an improved majority of 13,673 votes, polling 35,739 votes while Ting secured 22,076 votes as the bread and butter issue and message of change by PH found more traction among the electorate.
BN was never in the running in Miri, with its candidate trailing by nearly 10,000 votes at one stage but it made up some ground when the ballot boxes from its traditional stronghold such as SMK Dato Permaisuri were opened.
PKR was leading 26,077 votes to BN's 15,404 votes at 8.22pm with votes from the polling district of Kuala Baram and Lopeng counted and it was an uphill struggle for BN all the way to the final count.
Meanwhile, Hasbi polled 12,589 votes in Limbang to win by 7,710 votes against Dr Ricardo Baba of PKR (4,879 votes).
In Baram, Anyi finally removed the embarrassing tag of his razorthin victory by 194 votes in the 2013 general election to romp home with a 1,990-vote majority in his rematch against Roland Engan of PKR in this election.
Lukanisman defied all odds and criticism against him in Sibuti. He garnered 12,214 votes over his opponents Zulaihi Bakar @ Anai Zulai from Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and PKR's Jemat Panjang with a majority of 3,676 votes.