TESTICULAR fortitude paid off for the Gerakan when its candidate, Mah Siew Keong, who represented the Barisan Nasional swept the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat off the feet of the DAP.
Mah, the Gerakan President, won by a majority of 238 votes. A cabinet post is waiting for him. Teluk Intan will get a university and an expressway. These are among BN’s promises.
Mah polled 20,157 votes and DAP’s novice, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud 19,919. Only 66.67% of registered voters cast their ballots.
The marginal swing in favour of the BN could have been triggered by the fence-sitting Chinese who believed that a Chinese candidate from the BN was better than a Malay candidate from the DAP.
It must have been uncomfortable for some Chinese to see the young Malay DAP candidate being surrounded by tudung-wearing Malay makciks and young tudung-wearing young Malay women.
That was an unfamiliar sight for them. Maybe too that the Chinese thought that the DAP should remain Chinese, and increasing Malay involvement was not the right thing to do.
This could also be their way of telling the DAP they do like the party to continue to be in partnership with PAS following the latter's decision to implement Hudud in Kelantan.
Whatever the case might have been, one thing is sure - Teluk Intan voters had made a fantastic tactical move.
By giving the BN a 238-vote majority, they could now look forward to getting a cabinet post, a university, a highway and other handouts. Congratulation and jubilation.
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