BN Retains Batu Sapi, Captures Galas

GUA MUSANG, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- The Barisan Nasional (BN) retained the Batu Sapi parliamentary seat in Sabah with a bigger majority and wrested the Galas state seat in Kelantan from PAS in the two by-elections held Thursday.

Ours readers' predictions:

Who will win the Galas by-election?	Who will win the Batu Sapi by-election?
Dr. Zulkefli Mohamad (PAS) (55%) Abdul Aziz Yusoff (BN) (44%)	Ansari Abdullah (PKR) (27%) Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin (BN) (54%) Datuk Yong Teck Lee (SAPP) (18%)

The BN candidate from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin, who succeeds her late husband Datuk Edmund Chong Ket Wah as the Batu Sapi MP, beat her challengers Ansari Abdullah of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and former Sabah chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

Tsen, a part-time music teacher, garnered a majority of 6,359 votes, polling 9,773 votes to Ansari's 3,414 and Yong's 2,031.

In the general election in 2008, Chong had beaten independent candidate Dr Chung Kwon Wing by a majority of 3,708 votes.

The Galas seat in the parliamentary constituency of Gua Musang returned to the BN when Abdul Aziz Yusof won with a majority of 1,190 votes after polling 5,324 votes against the 4,134 obtained by Dr Zulkefli Mohamad of PAS.

The Galas by-election was held following the death of PAS assemblyman Chek Hashim Sulaima, 46, on Sept 27 of colon cancer while the Batu Sapi by-election was called after Chong died in a road accident on Oct 9.

The majority obtained by Abdul Aziz in Galas was 544 votes more than the 646-vote majority garnered by Chek Hashim in the general election in 2008. In the general election in 2004, BN candidate Saufi Deraman beat Chek Hashim by a majority of 7,729 votes.

Commenting on the BN win, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he was thankful for the victories which he described as reflecting the people's confidence in the national transformation process the BN wanted to bring about.

Najib, who is recovering from chicken pox, said victory in the two by-elections was unexpected and expressed the hope that the commitment shown by the BN machinery would be consolidated in the future.

"I give the assurance that the BN's promises for the two constituencies will be fulfilled to ensure continued confidence of the people in the coalition," he said when contacted by Bernama Thursday night.