Bukit Gantang matters & Batang Ai's PKR's defeat may be a rejection of a Semenanjung based party.

Pakatan Rakyat certainly cannot afford a defeat in Bukit Gantang - for after all it was a PAS seat

2008 Elections
Roslan Shaharum (PAS)– 20,015
Azim Zabidi (Umno) – 18,449
M Morgan (Independent) - 872
Majority - 1,566

All Pakatan Rakyat's candidate needs to do is to win by 1,566...and that will be good enough.

If they manage to get a higher majority, then it will be very very bad for BN .... and the new premiership of Mohd Najib Razak...

And, the Malaysiakini unofficial report says that PR Menteri Besar of Perak is still leading

7.36pm Bukit Gantang Unofficial results PAS 13,571, BN 11,191, Independent 31. Majority 2,380.

7.40pm Bukit Gantang Unofficial results PAS 14,720, BN 12,142, Independent 32. Majority 2,577.

More than half of the votes cast have been tallied.

PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa said, "As for now, we're heading towards a landslide victory."

The Islamic party has won Kuala Sepetang, the fishing village which is 97 percent Chinese. This is the area where BN stirred a controversy over a team of go-go girls performing at its campaign dinner.

8.50pm UNOFFICIAL PAS wins Bukit Gantang PAS 20,021, BN 17,076, Independent 56. Majority 2,945.

PAS Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin leaves the party’s operation centre in Air Kuning in an open hatch SUV, and waves to supporters as if he has just won the US presidential race.

What about Batang Ai -

In the 2006 Sarawak State Elections, BN won with a majority of 206, but today BN wins by a majority of 2,053 - and that is a bigger majority.

2006 State election
Dublin Unting (PRS) -3 ,295
Nicholas Bawin (Snap) - 2,489

7.39pm Batang Air Unofficial results - the final unofficial tally:

BN 3,450, PKR 1,790. Majority 1,660.

7.50pm Batang Ai OFFICIAL RESULTS

BN's Malcolm Mussem Lamoh (3,907 votes) has beaten PKR's Jawah Gerang (1,854). The majority is 2,053.

In 2006, it was one Sarawak BN party against an opposition Sarawak-based party - but in 2009, it is still the same Sarawak BN party versus PKR (which may be seen as a Semenanjung based Opposition party).

One thing about Sabah and Sarawak - the question of whether it is a State based party or a Semenanjung based party matters.

Maybe, Pakatan should really get into its team a Sarawak based party for the coming State elections.

For Sabah and Sarawak - the State is still very important, more important that the Federation. In the Penionsular, by reason of an almost 50 year rule by UMNO-led BN of both the States and Federal government - State loyalty matters very little. In fact, laws have been put in place that makes States weaker and more dependent on Federal Government...Pakatan Rakyat is feeling this 'weakness' today...

Should be promote State...isms and increase State control of State Resources, and how it can use State Resources...or should we continue with the BN plan to weaken States in the Peninsular - making them more and more dependent on the Federal Government..