Alor Gajah MP Adly Zahari has played down Melaka Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh’s suggestion that winning Gadek in the Nov 14 state election could pave the way for the coalition to reclaim the parliamentary seat.
Adly, who is also Melaka Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, said state and general elections had different dynamics, particularly in terms of voter turnout.
“The issues are different, and the people who come out to vote are different. Sometimes we lose Gadek in a state election but win the parliamentary seat (Alor Gajah) in a general election,” he told FMT.
He pointed out that PH had lost Gadek to BN in the 2021 Melaka state election but secured more votes in the constituency during the 2022 general election, which featured a four-cornered contest.
Adly questions BN’s handling of Gadek
Adly also claimed that voter dissatisfaction with BN in Gadek was “quite high” because its representatives had been frequently changed.
“BN has a tendency to use Gadek as part of its political negotiations. Perhaps the people there are uncomfortable with that,” he said.
He said voters wanted an elected representative who could serve all communities in the constituency, adding that capable representatives should be retained rather than frequently replaced.
“PH has fielded a fairly young candidate in Gadek, and we do have a chance,” Adly added.
Gadek has seen frequent changes in representation
Gadek, a Malay-majority mixed constituency under the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat, has undergone several changes in representation.
It was represented by Umno’s Abdul Ghafar Atan in 2004 and 2008 before MIC’s M S Mahadevan took over in 2013.
DAP’s G Saminathan won the seat in 2018, but MIC’s VP Shanmugam reclaimed it for BN in the 2021 state election.
However, BN has fielded a different candidate this time, with MIC’s S Nadarajah replacing Shanmugam.
Nadarajah will face a four-cornered contest on Nov 14 against PH’s K Jegasilan, Bersama’s B Laveen and Putra’s Laila Norinda Maon.
