Kuala Terengganu Parliamentary by-election

The Barisan Nasional's defeat in the Kuala Terengganu by-election on 16 January(Saturday) drew mixed reactions from politicians across the divide.

1. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said the result -which saw PAS candidate Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut win with a 2,631 vote majority over BN's Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh -was merely a set back and would not have any bearing on the national political landscape. The loss does not mean they will in any way waver in their commitment to the people. They will redouble their efforts to serve the peoplr even better and take this nation to a higher level of success.

Many factors could have influenced the by-election's outcome and local factors could not be read as having a great bearing at the national level.

2. MCA president datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the by-election saw an increase in support for the BN from the chinese community. Chinese viters renained with BN and MCA members had worked tirely during the campaign period. Despite the unfavourable result, he would like to thank the Chinese voters for staying with MCA diring these difficult times. MCA would not take the trust shown by them lightly. The people have, through the ballot demonstrated to us that aspirations of yesterday can be diffeent from today or tomorrow. We are now even more determined to work harder to serve the people the way they want to be served. We can no longer think we know better. The outcome strenthens our courage to change and accept that what we strive for for the nation may not totally reflect what the people want.

There are differences as well as common ground. We must learn and appreciate better these differences in order to shape a better tomorrow.

Chinese votors make up 10.9% of Kuala Terengganu's 80,229 voters.

3. Umno stalwart and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah decribed the loss as a " humiliation for the BN" at the polls for the third time in 10 months. He has full admiration for hardworking party members who toiled for two weeks on a local struggle. But they lost because of national problems. The rakyat rejected Umno in its present form and style, and they rejected its leadership. Despite ringing signals the the rakyat through March 8 and Permatang Pauh, Umno has either not heard the call for fundamendal change or is unable to respond to it.

Money, machiney and incumbency could not trump the call for change. BN will lose, and will in the end lose everything , untill we respond fully and sincerely. But the respond from the leadership yet again is that this should not be interpreted as the the voters spurned BN. Their leadership remains in denial. Loyal Umono members and the BN will feel they are on the sinking ship. Tengku Razaleigh said Umno had lost by a large majority in a constituency in which 90% of voters are Malay despite throwing the national resources of a party in federal power into the by-election. This was more than a referendum on the leadership. It was a test of the relevance of Umno in its present form. If Umbno is no longer relevant to the Malays, the BN formular is dead. The Chinese will have no reason to support MCA. The power- sharing consensual bargain on which their political system has been based since independence is broken.

4. Opposition Leader datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the victory would motivate others in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition to work harder and bring about much needed changes in the country.

5. DAP stalwart and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang said the by-election had lived up to the historic significabce of the March 8 general election and delivered two important messages.First, the political tsunami in on course, confirming that the paradigm shift in Malaysian politics 10 months ago was not a fluke-shot but represented the wide-ranging political aspirations of malaysians. Secandly, a dire warning to Umno and soon-to-be prime minister datuk Seri najib, if they refuse to heed the people's call for hange.