DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) unity pact was eager to build on its victories in the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections by retaining Pelangai in Pahang next month.

Loke said the victory was possible, highlighting the unity coalition’s strong cooperation, which saw PH successfully retaining the Pulai parliamentary seat and the Simpang Jeram state seat yesterday.

“In the by-elections, it was clear the BN and Umno machinery gave their full support to PH machinery in Pulai and Simpang Jeram.

“Under the leadership of Mohamed Khaled Nordin (Johor Umno chairman) and Onn Hafiz Ghazi (Johor menteri besar) the BN and Umno machinery were working and campaigning hard.

“We could see their determination to ensure victory for the PH candidate,” the Seremban MP told reporters at DAP national convention in Putrajaya today.

Suhaizan Kaiat’s victory in Pulai made him the first MP elected under the PH-BN alliance, which formed the unity government.

PH retained the seat it won in the general election after Suhaizan scored 48,283 votes in a three-cornered contest.

The bloc also retained the Simpang Jeram seat.

PH candidate Nazri Abdul Rahman won with a majority of 3,514 votes, defeating his two opponents.

Although Pelangai is an Umno stronghold, Loke believed the unity pact, which he called a “formula for success”, would ward off Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) challenge for the seat.

“In Pelangai, it will be PH’s turn to campaign for the BN candidate.

“The Pelangai state seat is under the Bentong parliamentary seat, whose MP is Rara (Young Syefura Othman) from DAP, so of course DAP will mobilise our machinery to focus on the Pelangai by-election, especially at some polling district centres in which we have great support and influence.

“I am confident of winning the Pelangai seat, which has been Umno’s stronghold all this time and was a seat won comfortably in GE15, with the spirit and collaborative efforts of support from all parties in the unity government,” he said.

Loke said he hoped PH’s success in the by-elections would be a source of enthusiasm and an injection of confidence for the unity government.

He said the victory was a sign people were fed up with PN’s political rhetoric.

“The important thing is that voters in Pulai and Simpang Jeram supported the unity government because they wanted political stability,” he said.

Following Suhaizan’s victory in Pulai yesterday, the unity bloc holds 148 seats in parliament. – September 10, 2023.