KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional's win in the Mahkota by-election proves that the people no longer believe opposition propaganda that Islam and the Malays are being threatened by the cooperation of parties under the unity government.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the people's eyes have been opened and they are no longer being deceived by the opposition's tactics.
These tactics, he said, centred on lies about "UMDAP" (Umno-DAP), through the cooperation between BN and Pakatan Harapan.
Asyraf Wajdi said voters were fed up with disputes and conflicts centred around religious and ethnic sentiments.
"Various lessons and important insights can be drawn from these consecutive victories in Nenggiri and Mahkota, showing that voters are becoming wiser in their decision-making.
"The culture and approach of political slander, instigation, and insults are no longer accepted, even though they can easily provoke the sentiments and emotions of the people.
"Instead, campaigns conducted with wisdom, decorum, and a careful approach to engage voters — such as visits and casual group discussions that factually explain the government agenda — are more well-received by the electorate," he told Berita Harian.
BN retained the Mahkota state seat yesterday when Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah beat Perikatan Nasional candidate Mohamad Haizan Jaafar with a huge 20,648-vote majority.
Asyraf Wajdi said the use of religious and ethnic sentiment was no longer relevant as the nature of the nation — and Johor in particular — was now rooted in a multicultural spirit that celebrates diversity.
He said it was clear that the opposition, which was sticking to its propaganda of UMDAP, Islam and the Malays, can no longer withstand the pressure, as the people have had their eyes opened.
This, he said, was as Umno had brought various agendas to empower Islam and the Bumiputera without denying the rights and interests of people of other races and religions.
"Take for example, the National Tahfiz Policy, the Bumiputera Economic Congress, and the increased allocations for Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim)... these clearly negate the slander and propaganda (that Islam and the Malays) are being threatened," he said.
On the support of the Chinese and Indian communities in Mahkota, Asyraf Wajdi said even though the turnout was low, it was still enough to prove that the unity formula had captured their imagination.
He said he did not discount the possibility that if the voter turnout had been better, BN could have garnered at least a 35,000-vote majority.
"The acceptance of Malay voters towards Umno is increasingly evident with the return of disillusioned voters who had previously supported PN.
"This could be seen through the results in the Malay voting channels, which showed a significantly larger majority compared to PN, especially when compared to the outcomes of the previous general election.
"This trend is also evident in Nenggiri and previously in Pelangai," he said.
Asyraf Wajdi also said the support of younger voters was evident as all youth channels showed BN winning big.
This, he said, highlighted the effectiveness of the integrated approach taken by the Wanita, Youth, and Puteri wings in reaching out to them.
He added that the discipline and coordination of local, divisional and state election machinery throughout Johor, along with the hard work of the PH machinery of DAP, Amanah and PKR, were also important factors in the victory.