Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud didn’t think Barisan Nasional need a re-branding exercise after the defeat in Kuala Terengganu by-election.

“I think it would not be easy to make general recommendation just from one event,” he quoted state dailies on Tuesday.

According to Taib, judging from the result the votes for BN was still high despite the fact that BN candidate wasn’t well chosen.

“It was quite good taking into account the 30,000 versus 30,000 voters. It wasn’t so bad, he added.

However political observer Bridget Welsh, an Associate Professor of South East Asian Studies at John Hopkins University didn’t share Taib views.

She was in Kuala Terengganu observing the election and said the results point to endemic problems in Barisan Nasional (BN), which are only likely to continue as the blame game has begun.

“Kuala Terengganu” is shining light on the strengths and weaknesses of both contesting sides, with the opposition’s fortunes brightening,” she told Malaysiakini.

According to Bridget, the deterioration of BN support among youth in particular shows that money politics and vote-buying is no longer enough for Malaysians. Parties need to deliver inclusion, governance and solutions to problems, not empty promises.