MUKAH, March 30 — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has acknowledged the choice of candidate as the 
key factor in the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) thumping victory in the Balingian state by-election. Sarawak PKR vice-president See Chee How said Yussibnosh Balo of BN was a favourite candidate compared to Abdul Jalil Bujang of PKR as he was former Dalat district officer while Abdul Jalil was a businessman residing in Bintulu.
“Yussibnosh is familiar with locals and knows the constituency well. He is also perceived as a people-friendly candidate and would be a good elected representative if given the opportunity,” See told reporters after the results of the by-election was announced at the Suarah Mesra Hall yesterday night.
BN retained the Balingian seat with a bigger majority of 6,911 votes. Yussibnosh, 48, polled 8,194 votes whereas Abdul Jalil, 55, from PKR, only managed 1,283 votes.
In the 2011 state election, the incumbent, former Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud polled 6,210 votes to win by a majority of 5,154 votes in a three-cornered fight.
See, who is also Sarawak PKR election director, said the BN’s pledge of development projects worth RM600 million for the constituency also tilted the balance towards Yussibnosh.
However, See defended the selection of Abdul Jalil and PKR would carry out a post-mortem on its defeat.
“Anyway, we had put up a respectable fight,” he said, adding that PKR had in fact increased its votes from 871 in a three-cornered fight in the 2011 state election to 1,283 in the by-election.
— BERNAMA
