SUNDAY-9TH MARCH 2008- NEGRI MCA LOSES FIVE SEATS

Negri MCA loses five state seats

SEREMBAN:
The state MCA received a major setback when it lost five state seats to the DAP while Umno lost three state seats to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Pas. In Rembau, Unmo youth deputy chief, Khairy Jamaluddin won the parliamentary seat of Rembau, polling 26,525 votes against Badrul Hisham Shaharin of Parti Keadilan Rakyat who received 20,779 votes. Khairy won by a 5,746 majority. State Barisan Nasional chairman and Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan also successfully defended his Rantau state seat by a 3,788 majority when he polled 7,739 votes against PKRs Aishah Lamsah’s 3,956. In Tampin, Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister, Datuk Shahziman Abu Mansor retained his parliamentary seat by polling 24,022 votes against Pas’ Abdul Razakek Abdul Rahim who managed 10,943 votes. In the Jelebu parliamentary constituency, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister, Datuk Dr Rais Yatim won with a 11,610 majority. He garnered 19,737 votes against Norman Ipin of Pas who got 8,127 votes. The Nilai state seat which was held by state executive councillor, Datuk Peter Lai Yit Fee of the MCA fell to the DAP’s Yap Yew Meng who polled 6,755 votes against Lai’s 4,861, while Temiang went to Ng Chin Tsai (DAP) who polled 4,290 against Jason Lee Kee Chong’s 2,952.
In Repah, the MCA suffered a shock defeat when lawyer, S. Veerapan of the DAP defeated Yap Seong Fook by a 553 majority, while state DAP chairman Anthony Loke Siew Fook retained Lobak with a strong 6,928 majority over Siow Koi Voon (MCA). The party also lost the Bahau state seat to the DAP Unmo lost its traditional Sikamat and Ampangan state seats by slim majority with Datuk Mohd Yusof Harmain Shah (Umno) polling 5,537 against PKR’s Aminuddin Harun’s 6,036 for the Sikamat seat and Mohd Nor Awang (Umno) polling 5,514 against Rashid Latiff (PKR) who secured 5,679 votes. Paroi, which is a state seat created after the redelineation in 2004, was won by state Pas youth chief, Mohd Taufek And Ghani who polled 9,473 votes against Umno’s Datuk Zaharudin Mohd Shariff who managed to get 8,316 votes. Mohd Taufek won with a 1,107 majority. Elsewhere, Umno’s sole woman candidate, Zainab Nasir beat Pas’ Mohd Ali Maarof by a 7,965 majority. She polled 10,811 against Mohd Ali’s 2,846 votes for the Gemas state seat. In Juasseh, Mohd Razi Khali (Umno) defeated Ghazali Othman (PKR) by a 2,068 majority, while in Chembong, Zaifulbahri Idris (Umno) clinched a 4,073 majority over Pas’ Zakaria Dahlan. Umno’s Datuk Mohd Kamil Abdul Aziz defeated Zakaria Khalim from Pas for the Gemenceh state seat by polling 6,600 votes against Zakaria’s 33,95. Umno also won all state seats under the Jelebu and Kuala Pilah parliamentary constituencies.