A by-election was held for the Dewan Rakyat parliamentary seat of Bukit Gelugor on 25 May 2014 following the nomination day on 12 May 2014.[1] The seat fell vacant after the passing of the incumbent MP, Karpal Singh in a motor accident near Kampar, Perak on 17 April 2014.[2][3] Karpal hailed from the Democratic Action Party, a component party of Pakatan Rakyat.[4] A political and legal veteran, he served in the Parliament since 1978 (except for a brief period) and as the chairman of the DAP from 2004 until 2014. He won by a majority of 41,778 votes against Barisan Nasional (Malaysian Chinese Association) candidate Teh Beng Yeam in the 2013 general election.[5][6]
The DAP fielded Ramkarpal Singh, Karpal's son and a lawyer.[7] Hours after Ramkarpal's candidacy was announced, MCA decided to defer from contesting the by-election thus leaving BN with no candidate in the by-election.[8][9] BN chief and Prime Minister Najib Razak indicated that BN would instead throw support on other candidates. Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president and former BN MP for Batu Kawan Huan Cheng Guan contested in the by-election along with two independents Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohamed Abdul Sathar and Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan.[10] Abu Backer withdrew a day before the by-election, although his decision was not recognized by the Electoral Commission.[11] The number of eligible voters in this constituency was 82,431.
Results
editRamkarpal Singh won the by-election with a majority of 37,659 votes compared to his nearest challenger. The other three candidates lost their deposit after failing to receive at least one-eighth of the votes. The turnout in the by-election is 30% lower compared to the turnout in the 2013 general election.[12][13][14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ∆% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAP | Ramkarpal Singh Karpal Singh | 41,242 | 89.95 | + 9.44 | ||
| Love Malaysia Party | Huan Cheng Guan | 3,583 | 7.81 | + 7.81 | ||
| Independent | Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohamed Nabi Abdul Sathar | 799 | 1.74 | + 1.74 | ||
| Independent | Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan | 225 | 0.49 | + 0.49 | ||
| Total valid votes | 45,849 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 539 | |||||
| Unreturned ballots | 50 | |||||
| Turnout | 46,438 | 56.34 | ||||
| Registered electors | 82,431 | |||||
| Majority | 37,659 | 82.14 | ||||
| DAP hold | Swing | |||||
Source(s) "Pilihan Raya Kecil P.051 Bukit Gelugor". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 2018-09-19. "Federal Government Gazette - Notice of Contested Election - By-election of the Dewan Rakyat of P.051 Bukit Gelugor for the State of Penang [P.U. (B) 215/2014]" (PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 2018-09-19.[permanent dead link] "P. U. (B) 250/2014 Federal Government Gazette - Results of Contested Election and Statement of the Poll after the Official Addition of Votes for the By-election of P.051 Bukit Gelugor" (PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 2016-05-10.[permanent dead link] | ||||||
References
edit- ^ "Bukit Gelugor by-election set for May 25, nominations May 12, says polls body". The Malaysian Insider. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-24.
- ^ "Karpal Singh dies in road accident, son injured". The Malaysian Insider. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-19.
- ^ "Karpal Singh's Death: Bukit Gelugor MP killed in crash, son injured". New Straits Times. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-17.
- ^ "Karpal Singh: One and only Tiger". The Star. 17 April 2014.
- ^ "Karpal's Bukit Gelugor seat will stay DAP's, analysts say". The Malay Mail. 24 April 2014.
- ^ "Undi.info". Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- ^ "Ramkarpal to defend dad's Bukit Gelugor seat". The Malaysian Insider. 10 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-13.
- ^ "MCA to stay clear of Bukit Gelugor rumble". Malaysiakini. 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Bukit Gelugor by-election will only spell humiliating defeat for MCA, say analysts". The Malaysian Insider. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-15.
- ^ "In Barisan's absence, DAP can expect easy win in Bukit Gelugor". The Malaysian Insider. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-13.
- ^ "Never-ending drama from Abu Backer". Free Malaysia Today. 24 May 2014.
- ^ "It's official… Ramkarpal wins Bukit Gelugor, challengers lose their deposit". The Malaysian Insider. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-27.
- ^ "Ramkarpal falls short of dad's majority". Free Malaysia Today. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ 行动党3万7千多数票守土蓝卡巴：国会，我来了！ (in Chinese). Malaysiakini. 25 May 2014.