Kelantanese much more mature now, Umno's win in Nenggiri evidence DAP sentiment long gone - Azmawi

KUALA LUMPUR - Nenggiri's newly-elected assemblyman said that the people of Kelantan have matured significantly, as Umno's victory in the state seat demonstrates that the negative sentiment surrounding Umno-DAP has long been gone.

Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani better known as Awie, expressed his belief and confidence with the maturity of Malaysians.

“Because since the 15th General Election (GE), we have seen changes within the dynamics of Malaysia’s politics.

“Plus, this particular sentiment of Umno-DAP, being ‘together’, our very own Umno Youth Chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh frequently opposes them.

"Therefore, I believe this issue is being heightened to create a hatred sentiment among Malays and Muslims,” he told Sinar Daily yesterday during the second day of Umno’s General Assembly at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKC).

Awie also said that he contested the Nenggiri by-election through BN’s ticket, and coincidentally BN is a part of the Unity Government.

“In Kelantan, right now the seats that belong to BN are Galas, Nenggiri and Amanah’s Kota Lama.

"I think the sentiments of BN-DAP, it has been going since last year’s State Election.

“Personally, I feel people today do not want to talk about those sentiments; right now, they are seeking for their representative, their ‘Wakil Rakyat’ who is always by their side, who will defend their rights and who will be able to solve their problems, that is all that they seek,” he said.

He also said that when he was campaigning for the Nenggiri by-election, this issue had already been thrown at him by Perikatan Nasional (PN).

“But, we (BN) have proved that the people of Nenggiri wanted a representative that is ‘Yang Berkhidmat’ for them,” he said.

Last week, the Nenggiri by-election saw BN secure a decisive victory with 9,091 votes, while PN's candidate, Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, garnered 5,739 votes.

BN achieved a significant majority of 3,352 votes, a notable increase from the 810-vote majority in the previous GE15.

However, this victory has sparked discussions and sentiments about DAP's influence, suggesting that the party has benefited by gaining a foothold in Kelantan through its coalition with the Unity Government.

Before GE15 took place in 2022, BN had been a long-standing rival of DAP, with both parties fiercely opposing each other for decades.

But history was made following GE15 when BN, a Malay-dominated party, joined forces with Pakatan Harapan (PH), which includes DAP, PKR, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), to form the Unity Government.