BARISAN Nasional’s Ramli Mohd Nor is the new MP for Cameron Highlands, the seat’s first Orang Asli lawmaker.

The retired senior policeman was announced the winner of the by-election by returning officer Ishak Md Napis about 8.30pm at the EC’s vote tallying centre in SMK Ahmad Shah in Tanah Rata.

In the EC’s final tally, Ramli polled 12,038 votes, gaining a majority of 3,238 over his main rival, Pakatan Harapan’s M. Manogaran, who won 8,800 votes.

Two independents, former lecturer Sallehudin Ab Talib, and farmer Wong Seng Yee, took 314 and 276 votes, respectively.

In the 14th general election last year, BN won by a majority of 597 votes over PH in a five-cornered fight.

Cameron Highlands has around 32,000 voters, and voter turnout was 68.79%, according to the EC.

There were 568 spoilt votes and 23 unreturned ballots.

The announcement of Ramli’s win was greeted by loud cheers from a contingent of BN members dressed in blue and seated in the public area of the hall. Among them was acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan.

Only Ramli and Wong were present.

Manogaran, of DAP, was at the PH operations centre in Brinchang. It is the former Teluk Intan MP’s third attempt and failure at wresting the Cameron Highlands seat, which BN has kept since 2004. – January 26, 2019.