THE defeat in the Tg Piai by-election is not a reason to dissolve Parliament for a fresh election, said PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

He said losing one or two by-elections does not mean the government has to call for a snap election.

“We have accepted this shocking defeat. We know we have to take steps to restore public faith in the government.

“We don’t have to quit after one or two defeats. The government has a mandate for a full term.

“If anything, the Tg Piai loss should serve as a lesson to us and we should learn from it,” said Anwar, who is Port Dickson MP, at the Parliament lobby today.

He also played down the Chinese voter swing to Barisan Nasional, saying all communities voted against the pact.

“There is a swing among Chinese and Malay voters. I do not believe in the race card. We have a duty to understand the frustration of the people and to take stock of the message.”

Yesterday, opposition leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob had called for the dissolution of Parliament and a snap election as the government has lost the people’s confidence, following Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) massive defeat in Tg Piai.

Ismail said the by-election was a referendum on the ruling pact, and its result showed that the people rejected PH.

“If the government is truly sensitive towards the people’s voice, it has no other choice than to dissolve Parliament.

“Let the people decide the country’s future,” he said in a Facebook post.

He said the sentiment of the Tg Piai folk is not unique to the constituency, but shared by Malaysians nationwide.

Ismail added that PH was rejected in three previous by-elections – Cameron Highlands, Semenyih and Rantau.

“The message is clear. The people no longer believe in PH’s ability to lead the country.”

PH on Saturday lost to Barisan Nasional’s Wee Jeck Seng in Tg Piai with a 15,086-vote majority.

The MCA man got 25,466 votes, while his closest competition, PH’s Karmaine Sardini from Bersatu, polled 10,380.

Gerakan’s Wendy Subramaniam won 1,707 votes, Berjasa’s Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz (850), and independents Ang Chuan Lock (380) and Faridah Aryani Abd Ghaffar (32).

The by-election was called following the death of Md Farid Md Rafik, 42, on September 21 due to heart complications. – November 18, 2019.