IPOH: The government is examining claims that unpopular measures, such as targetted diesel subsidies, were among the reasons for the defeat of the Pakatan Harapan candidate in the Sungai Bakap by-election on Saturday (July 6).
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said a post-mortem process of the by-election results was currently underway and would be discussed by the unity government leadership.
"We are all aware that the polling date in Sungai Bakap was less than a month after the announcement of the targetted diesel subsidy (implementation on June 9), so the process for those who have applied for Budi Madani is still ongoing, with some waiting for fleet cards under the Subsidised Diesel Control System (SKDS).
"To say that the loss in Sungai Bakap by-election is related to one policy alone or several policies is something we will scrutinise through the post-mortem process," he said.
Fahmi said this to reporters when met at the launching ceremony of the National Information Dissemination Centre (Nadi) in Kampung Datuk Ahmad Said Tambahan 2, near Manjoi, here.
He said this in response to comments by political analyst from the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Proffessor Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, who claimed that the defeat of the PH candidate in Sungai Bakap was not due to the green wave, but rather a manifestation of public protest against the government.
Fahmi, who is the unity government spokesman, said that to overcome the deficit in public support, the government will improve the method of delivering information about new programs or policies to ensure they resonate with public understanding.
"Although we strive to convey information through all media channels, including social media, the way the information is presented may need to be adjusted so that the community in a particular location understands it.
"Secondly, the counter-arguments from the opposition need to be managed more carefully, as conveyed to me by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim," he said.
On Saturday, Perikatan Nasional candidate Abidin Ismail defeated PH's Dr Joohari Ariffin, in the Sungai Bakap by-election.
Abidin, 56, won with 14,489 votes, defeating his PH rival, Dr. Joohari Ariffin, who garnered 10,222 votes.