KUALA LUMPUR: A member of Parliament said Pakatan Harapan's win in yesterday's Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election serves as a wake-up call for Perikatan Nasional to stop using divisive and toxic politics to garner support from voters.
Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan said PN's defeat in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election proves race, religion, and royalty (3R) issues failed to capture the hearts of the majority of voters in the constituency.
He said divisive and toxic politics would only yield diminishing returns.
"This victory demonstrates the people's confidence in the Selangor state government led by Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, remains intact and sends a clear message that the policies of the federal government led by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, are increasingly accepted by the people.
"The cross-ethnic support garnered by Pang Sock Tao ultimately brings victory for the unity government and indicates that a political configuration based on unity and cooperation is the best formula for Selangor and Malaysia," he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, Syahredzan urged PN to reflect and acknowledge that Malaysia is a country of multi-ethnicities and religions, and only politics of moderation and unity can embrace support from all segments of society.
"PN from the beginning had been eyeing opportunities for victory by playing on issues of race and religion.
"Issues such as vernacular schools, religion and the ethnicity of the candidates, as well as the sentiment of 'Malay power loss' were exploited by PN leaders during this campaign.
"The PN machinery failed to offer anything appealing to the KKB voters and only brought about polemics on the issue of the 3Rs," he said.
Pakatan Harapan's Pang Sock Tao won 14,000 votes in the by-election, defeating Perikatan Nasional's Khairul Azhari Saut who gained 10,131 votes while Parti Rakyat Malaysia's Hafizah Zainuddin secured 152 votes and independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin secured 188.
She won with a majority of 3,869 votes.
