Pembangunan dan pola pengundian dalam Pilihan Raya Kecil Kawasan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Manek Urai, Kelantan (Development and the voting pattern in the Manek Urai state assembly by-election)

Abstract

Pilihan raya kecil Manek Urai 2009 diadakan berikutan kematian Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) dari PAS iaitu Haji Ismail Yaacob pada bulan Mei 2009 di Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II Kota Bharu Kelantan. PAS berjaya mengekalkan kemenangan di DUN tersebut melalui calonnya Mohd. Fauzi Abdullah yang menewaskan calon BN Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat namun mengalami kemerosotan sebanyak 1287 undi. Sokongan BN bertambah sebanyak 889 undi dan ini menunjukkan pengundi muda yakin terhadap BN.  Kejayaan BN menguasai hampir semua undi daripada saluran tiga dan empat menggambarkan pengundi muda mula memberi kepercayaan kepada Kerajaan Pusat untuk membawa pembangunan ke Manek Urai, yang sebahagian besar penduduk bekerja sebagai penoreh getah, pekebun kecil kelapa sawit dan buah-buahan serta bekerja sendiri. Faktor kejayaan BN mengurangkan majoriti kemenangan PAS ialah kemampuan BN menyusun strategi yang baik untuk menawan hati pengundi, dan kepimpinan Perdana Menteri, Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak sendiri menunjukkan komitmen tinggi menyelesaikan setiap isu rakyat yang berbangkit sebelum ini.

Katakunci: Dewan Undangan Negeri, Manek Urai, pembangunan, pengundi, pilihan raya, pola pengundian

The Manek Urai state legislative assembly election was held in 2009 following the death of the PAS assemblyman. The result was that PAS managed to retain victory but with a severely reduced majority. In contrast, although defeated, support for the BN had increased significantly especially from channels 3 and 4 indicating a growing confidence of young voters in the BN. This combined with a solid increase of votes for the BN by other segments of the electorate meant that the BN-ruled Federal Government was perceived to be capable of bringing development back to Manek Urai where the majority of the people worked as rubber tappers and small-scale farmers, or were unskilled or semi-skilled self-employed. The BN success factors in eroding the PAS traditional dominance included the party’s ability to set an effective strategy for winning the voters‘ heart and mind, and the problem-solving leadership style of the BN head who was also the  country‘s Prime Minister.

Keywords: development, election, Manek Urai, State Legislative Assembly, voters, voting patterns