Jezlee Pit wins Sungai Rambai for BN with 7,498-vote majority

MELAKA – Barisan Nasional (BN) Jezlee Pit won the Sungai Rambai state seat (N28) with a majority of 7,498 votes in the 16th Melaka state election on Nov 14, according to official results from the Election Commission.

Jezlee polled 9,610 votes, or 78.7 per cent of the 12,208 votes cast for the three candidates.

Amanah Jasin chief Aminuddin Abdul Jalil of Pakatan Harapan (PH) took 2,112 votes (17.3 per cent) while independent Norrizan Jantan, who contested under the diamond symbol, received 486 votes (4 per cent).

The result keeps the seat in BN hands. Sungai Rambai in Jasin district has been held by Umno or its predecessor coalition since the constituency was created in 1959, according to records of past assemblies.

Hasan Abd Rahman held it for three terms from 2008 to 2021 before Siti Faizah Abdul Azis won it for BN in the 2021 state election.

Jezlee, popularly known as “Tok Jez”, was introduced as the new BN candidate for the seat.

During the campaign, he unveiled a five-year development blueprint titled Mewajah Sungai Rambai Lima Tahun (Reshaping Sungai Rambai in Five Years), pledging to work closely with residents and government agencies to drive development in the area.

The plan aims to modernise Sungai Rambai while preserving its identity as an agricultural community.

Among the key proposals were reviving the Rural Transformation Centre (RTC) and Sungai Rambai Aerodrome, as well as developing a new township.

Sungai Rambai was declared Melaka's first sub-district on March 1, 2017. However, its sub-district office was closed in August 2018.

The proposed RTC project, located at the Alor Gajah-Melaka Tengah-Jasin (AMJ) Expressway rest and service area, also subsequently lost momentum. In 2021, residents told Bernama they wanted the sub-district status restored.

Aminuddin, from Amanah, was fielded as PH's candidate after the coalition included Sungai Rambai among its contested seats in the final stretch before nomination day. PH eventually contested 24 of the state's 28 seats.

Meanwhile, Norrizan, 59, a Sungai Rambai native, centred his campaign on his longstanding ties with the local community.

In an interview with The Star, he said conversations with friends at a warung in Pekan Batu Gajah had helped him better understand the concerns and needs of villagers.

The seat saw a three-cornered contest involving BN, PH and an independent candidate, with Perikatan Nasional (PN) opting not to field a candidate.