MELAKA (Nov 21): Barisan Nasional's (BN) landslide victory in the Melaka election on Saturday is an indication that the people want the coalition to return to administering the state after it lost badly in 2018's 14th general election (GE14).

BN, with its 21 state seats, now has the mandate to form and fully control the state government without the need for any merger with other political entities, as was required prior to this.

The victory also proves that the decision to hold the Melaka state polls was spot on, to resolve the political impasse.

The state election was held after four state assemblymen withdrew their support for former chief minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali on Oct 4.

Even more gratifying for BN were the victories for two of its component parties — namely Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) in Machap Jaya and Kelebang, and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) in Gadek — which were wiped out in the previous election in 2018.

The victories for MCA and MIC also give BN the confidence in facing the bigger challenge posed in the upcoming GE15, even though some of the coalition's leaders are still facing charges in court.

The lower turnout from the 495,195 registered voters also gave an advantage to BN.

This was because most of those who went out to vote were strong supporters of the coalition, especially UMNO, who were aware of the importance of getting the mandate to lead the state.

BN's victory in Melaka fulfilled its prediction based on several factors, including having a line-up of young-blooded candidates and acceptance of the party's top leadership, which now comprises people of all ages.

On the other hand, the election dealt a great blow to Pakatan Harapan as it only managed to win five seats, with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led PKR losing all of its contests.

Democratic Action Party, the so-called champion of Chinese voters, only managed to defend four seats, namely Ayer Keroh, Kota Laksamana, Kesidang, and Bandar Hilir, while Parti Amanah Negara kept Bukit Katil.

The performance of Perikatan Nasional (PN), which only won two seats, namely Sungai Udang and Bemban, shows it has not yet been able to attract voters.

The election this time also saw fierce competition in three state constituencies, namely Kelebang, Tanjung Bidara, and Duyong, of which the results were quite unexpected.

In the Kelebang state seat, for example, the three-cornered fight among the BN, PN, and PH candidates saw almost a three-way split, with even the lowest contender garnering almost 4,000 votes.

MCA's victory in the Kelebang by Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Lim Ban Hong with a majority of 876 votes also renewed hope in the Chinese-based BN component party.

In the Tanjung Bidara state seat, the fierce clash between "heavyweights" Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Bersatu-PN) and Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh (UMNO-BN) proved that voters in the constituency still had confidence in UMNO.

Ab Rauf, labelled as a "dragon" in Melaka, pulled off the victory with a majority of 364 votes although his image had been tarnished following allegations by certain quarters.

Mas Ermieyati, despite being announced as the PN chief ministerial candidate just before the polls, could not muster the numbers required.

A six-cornered fight for the Duyong state seat, meanwhile, saw fierce competition with BN candidate Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem emerging as the victor with a 200-vote majority after garnering 4,684 votes.

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