PETALING JAYA, April 26: Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali said its defeat in the Hulu Selangor by-election yesterday would not stop the Pakatan Rakyat government
in Selangor to continue with pro-people policies and programmes.

In its first official reaction to last night's election results, in which Barisan Nasional won with a majority of 1,725 votes against PKR's Zaid Ibrahim, thereby wresting the seat from PKR which won in 2008 by a majority of 198, Syed Husin said the results showed that Pakatan Rakyat had made inroads into vote banks which it could not previously.

Drawing comparison to the 2008 election results at the state level, where the opposition lost all three state seats by a combined majority of about 6,000 votes, the PKR senator said this time around the opposition was able to make significant advances amongst the voters in Felda settlements, adding that it made "mockery of proud boasts by the BN that they would win with a majority of over 3,000."

"We are therefore heartened that despite the mud-slinging at our candidate, the unashamed vote buying, the presence of all of the BN's top guns, including the Prime Minister himself, the media spins and the absence of the specific factors that won us the parliamentary seat the last time, we were able to make significant advances amongst the voters, especially those in the Felda settlements," he said.

Syed Husin said prime minister Najib Razak had nothing to celebrate because including the more than 600 postal votes, BN's majority was only 1,700 votes.

"Our candidate will keep to his pledge to continue to work for all the people of Hulu Selangor. Pakatan Rakyat will continue to work for all the people. The Pakatan Rakyat Government of Selangor will continue to carry through its pro-people policies and programmes'" he added.