ONE swallow does not make a summer but try telling that to Barisan Nasional politicians in the wake of the coalition’s victory in Cameron Highlands today.

Under siege, depressed and rudderless since May 9, Khairy Jamaluddin and other pact leaders took to social media to brag about the by-election victory.

Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, a former minister and former Umno youth chief, tweeted that Malay and Orang Asli support for the coalition had led to the win.

“Based on results that have come in from #CameronHighlands, most Malay and Orang Asli votes have gone to BN,” Khairy tweeted.

“Now waiting for results from Tanah Rata, mainly Chinese and Indian. PH trounced in Koyan where PM visited yesterday.

“BN also secured overwhelming majority of early votes (police) in #CameronHighlands.

“Police personnel still voting for BN despite PH being the government of the day,” Khairy said.

Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan, a former deputy minister, also tweeted about the unofficial results showing Ramli’s victory.

On Facebook, Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam posted a live video announcing that Ramli had won in Jelai in style (sangat bergaya).

Jelai is the Umno state seat held by Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail of BN.

Lokman said Ramli still won the by-election despite losing in Tanah Rata, a state seat held by DAP’s Chiong Yoke Kong.

Lokman also said the BN machinery’s voter turnout count at some polling stations was lower than what the Election Commission had reported.

“We hope the higher voter turnout recorded is not a possible attempt to increase the number of ballot papers. We hope such a thing did not happen,” he said in the video.

In the background, BN supporters could be seen dancing and cheering.

On Twitter, the parliamentary seat’s former MP, C. Sivarraajh from BN component party MIC, said the election of the coalition’s new MP for the Pahang seat was proof that there had not been any vote-buying.

Sivarraajh had lost the seat after the election court found that there was vote-buying during BN’s campaign in Cameron Highlands during the 14th general election in May last year. 

The vote-buying complaint was filed by his PH challenger, M. Manogaran, who was also the ruling government’s candidate in this by-election.

Manogaran has lost Cameron Highlands for a second time now, losing to BN’s Ramli Mohd Nor, a retired policeman now on his way to becoming the first Orang Asli MP in the Dewan Rakyat.

“The Orang Asli’s support in the Cameron Highlands by-election proves that there was no vote-buying, like what was stated by the court,” Sivarraajh tweeted.

“They are hardcore BN supporters. All the witnesses brought by Mano(garan) were PH supporters. God is great although I was oppressed.”
 
As at 6.56pm, the EC’s unofficial results at the Tanah Rata tallying centre has Ramli winning 11,381 votes compared with Manogaran’s 7,182, giving the retired policeman a 4,199-vote majority. 

Apart from Ramli and Manogaran, two independents – Wong Seng Yee and Sallehudin Ab Talib – also contested in the by-election. They so far managed less than 300 votes each. – January 26, 2019.