Dr
M: We will bring the two States back
By Farush Khan
KUALA LUMPUR, Tues. - While accepting the people's democratic
right to give Pas the mandate to rule oil-rich Terengganu, in addition
to Kelantan, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad expressed Barisan Nasional's
determination to recapture the two States in the next general election.
"Yes, we will bring them back," said the BN chairman at
a packed Press conference early this morning.
During the half-an-hour Press conference held at the Umno
building beginning about 3.15am, Terengganu was the reporters' favourite
questions, considering its shocking loss to Pas.
"We lost in Kelantan and Terengganu because Pas has instilled
fear among the people and promised paradise to those who vote for Pas."
According to Dr Mahathir, the BN had also found that some
of those working with the Government had also supported Pas both in Kelantan
and Terengganu.
He said in several constituencies, the BN had discovered
that some officers at the counting centres had refused to do a recount
and that could be in favour of the Opposition.
"There could also be other reasons for our loss in Kelantan
and Terengganu. We will carry out a post-mortem," he said.
Pas won 28 of the 32 State seats. State Pas commissioner
Abdul Hadi Awang was today named its Menteri Besar, taking over Umno's
Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, who lost his seat in Cukai.
It also won seven of the eight parliamentary seats in
the State. The remaining seat in Kemaman was won by the Parti Keadilan
Nasional.
Terengganu State Government receives between RM400 million
and RM500 million ringgit in annual royalties from Petronas.
In Kelantan, Pas won 41 of the 43 State seats with the
remaining two, Galas and Paloh, going to the BN. It also won 10 of the
14 parliamentary seats. Three others went to Keadilan and one to the BN.
Among the BN heavyweights defeated in Kelantan were Second
Finance Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed and Rural Development Minister Datuk
Annuar Musa. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ibrahim
Ali lost too.
Asked on the possibility of BN's reconciliation with its
political opponents, Dr Mahathir said the BN was willing to work with the
opposition parties outside of politics.
However, he said, the BN was particularly concerned that
the opposition parties, especially Pas, would want to continue as BN's
enemy until the next election as they knew they would lose supporters if
they got close to BN.
"They will keep their supporters away from us but we will
not keep our supporters away from them. They can listen to Pas if they
like," he added.
On whether the BN's loss in Kelantan and Terengganu meant
that the Barisan Nasional had lost in the Malay heartland, he said the
two States were not the whole of the Malay heartland. "Look at Johor,"
he said.
On whether the victory of the president of Parti Keadilan
Nasional Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also wife of Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat was a result
of sympathy votes, Dr Mahathir said: "I think there are a lot of sympathy
votes when you and your child cry. It tugs at the heartstrings."
He said while he realised that the people in Permatang
Pauh was used to their former MP (Anwar) and therefore was sympathetic
to Azizah, he wondered whether Azizah "could contribute anything at all".
Asked on what he thought the issues would be with Pas
taking over as leader of the Opposition, Dr Mahathir said Pas would do
nothing except to curse the Government.
On whether the full support by the Chinese to the Barisan
Nasional indicated their acknowledgement of the Government's contribution
to the economy, he said the Chinese appreciated what the Government had
done for them in terms of the economy.
