KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Barisan Nasional (BN) has retained both state seats in today’s twin by-elections with increased majorities as Pakatan Rakyat (PR) continues to endure a string of bruising defeats.

These are the fourth and fifth straight by-election losses for the opposition coalition, all with increased majorities.

The Malacca state assembly seat of Merlimau will be filled by local Umno leader Roslan Ahmad who also won convincingly against his PAS opponent.

Jasin PAS deputy division chief Yuhaizat Abdullah could only manage 2,319 votes, while Roslan bettered BN’s 2,615-vote majority by claiming the support of 5,962 voters.

Umno had earlier predicted a majority of around 3,500 votes after 79 per cent of the 10,679 voters had turned out and was not far off the mark with the final margin of 3,643 votes.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters that the results in both Kerdau and Merlimau are significant because they showed that the electorate was losing confidence in PAS.

“The rejection of PAS is very significant as they have brought many issues including the Orange Book and the concept of Islamic state but it is a clear sign that the voters have rejected them not once but repeatedly in Galas, Tenang, Kerdau and Merlimau.

“In all the seats, PAS lost badly and that is a sign that PAS is no longer accepted by a large portion of the Malay community and also other communities,” he said.

In Kerdau, Kuala Krau Umno deputy division chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad defeated PAS’s Hassanuddin Salim by 4,960 votes to 2,336.

This increased the 1,615-vote majority in 2008 to 2,724.

It trumps even 2004’s margin of 2,565 votes when Malaysia had given then-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi an overwhelming mandate, allowing BN to take control of over 90 per cent of Parliament.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor said the victory today proved that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s policies have received the backing of the public.

“The people realise that whatever he is doing is for the benefit of Malaysians,” he said, adding that this was a good sign for the Sarawak state election that must be called by July.

About 83 per cent of the 8,999 voters here turned out to pick their representative to the Pahang state assembly.

The Malacca state assembly seat of Merlimau will be filled by local Umno leader Roslan Ahmad who also won convincingly against his PAS opponent.

Jasin PAS deputy division chief Yuhaizat Abdullah could only manage 2,319 votes, while Roslan bettered BN’s 2,615-vote majority by claiming the support of 5,962 voters.

Umno had earlier predicted a majority of around 3,500 votes after 79 per cent of the 10,679 voters had turned out and was not far off the mark with the final margin of 3,643 votes.