Wong (right) shakes hands with Pau after the results were announced.
KUCHING: Debutant BN-SUPP candidate Peter Pau Kiu Sung failed to wrest Padungan which is one of DAP’s urban strongholds despite putting up a brave fight during the campaigning period.
Despite the lower voter turn-out, Pau managed to reduce Wong’s majority.
In the 2011 state election the majority was 7,884 votes but it was only 4,270 votes this time.
Padungan, one of the biggest Chinese majority urban seats was said to be the yardstick for Chinese votes. Pau’s performance indicates that a few thousand Chinese voters have indeed swung from the DAP to BN.
Pau garnered 5,062 votes in a three-cornered fight compared to Wong’s 9,332 votes. STAR’s Teo Kuang Kim lost his deposit as he only secured 116 votes.
“I would like to thank my supporters and voters during the campaigning and polling day,” Pau told thesundaypost after the results were announced at the tallying centre in the Kuching South City Council building last night.
He added that he would continue to serve the people together with his party – SUPP.
Wong meanwhile said the win was rather ‘bitter sweet’ as the DAP did not win many seats as expected.
“My victory does not have much meaning because our target, especially in rural areas, is not achieved. We will however continue with our struggle,” he said.