DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has told PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang that he should be more worried about the tide turning against his Islamist party and the party’s declining fortunes than with that of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH).

The Iskandar Puteri MP was responding to Hadi’s claim that the low voter turnout in the Port Dickson by-election yesterday was a sign of protest against PH for its failure to fulfil election promises.

Lim said the Marang MP should be worried after leading PAS “to an unprecedented shrinkage, from a national party with elected representatives throughout Peninsular Malaysia to a regional party ensconced in the Malay states in the east coast and Kedah and Perlis”.

He said PAS under Hadi’s helm is “undoing all the successes and achievements in the reach-out efforts to all races, religions and regions undertaken by the two previous PAS presidents, Fadzil Noor and Yusuf Rawa, and its former spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat”.

The DAP veteran described Hadi’s view of PH’s performance in the by-election as “his illusion”.

“Hadi is welcome to his illusion, as he seems to have acquired one of former prime minister Najib Razak’s traits after cooperating with him – constantly subject to fits of hallucination,” he said in a statement today.

Anwar won the by-election by a landslide, securing a higher majority despite a lower turnout – 58.25% compared to the 83.16% at May 9 general election.

He received 31,016 votes, winning with by 23,560 votes. PAS’ Mohd Nazari Mokhtar received 7,456 votes, while former Negri Sembilan menteri besar Isa Samad, who contested as an independent, obtained 4,230.

Four other independent candidates received token votes.

Harapan won by a 17,710-vote majority in the 14th general election.

Lim said despite a low voter turnout, Anwar’s 31,016 votes or a 23,560-vote majority eclipsed that of the PKR’s Danyal Balagopal Abdullah who won the seat in GE14 the 14th by a margin of just 17,710 votes with a voter turnout of 83%.

“In winning 71.3% of 58.3% turnout of 75,770 votes, or 44,136 votes cast in the by-election, Anwar has probably set the record for the highest popular vote for the lowest voter turnout,” he said.

He also said Anwar winning 71.3% of the popular vote was higher than Najib’s 62% in Pekan, Hadi’s 59.3% in Marang, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s 51.4% in Bagan Datuk and MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong’s 43.98% in Ayer Hitam in GE14.

“The Port Dickson by-election results is a very promising signpost for Malaysia’s future as it showed that PH has been able to maintain two goals which are significant not only to the continued success of PH but the building of a ‘New Malaysia’,” Lim said.

The two goals, he said, were the ability to sustain and maintain the support of non-Malay voters and the ability to win more Malay electoral support with the passage of time.

“In the Port Dickson by-election, PH had made inroads into many Malay-majority polling districts – which are good signs for the future.

“As Anwar pointed out in his victory speech in Port Dickson last night, what is most astounding about the by-election is that all ethnic groups have come together to support him as the MP and the eighth prime minister-designate.

“It is a confirmation of my theory that the political extremists and opportunists in Umno and PAS who fall back on the toxic and vicious politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies are fighting a losing battle in an information era in plural Malaysia.” – October 14, 2018.