MCA to stand in Gelang Patah
Hishammuddin: Chinese candidate to fight it out for parliamentary seat
JOHOR BARU: Barisan Nasional has agreed in principle to return the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat to MCA and will leave it to the party to decide on its candidate, says Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
The Umno vicepresident also vows to personally see to the operations of the Gelang Patah election machinery.
Hishammuddin said both Umno and other Barisan component parties would give their backing to whoever MCA chose to contest there.
“Our main target now is to win back Gelang Patah and the Skudai state seat from DAP,” said Hishammuddin.
“I will personally see to the operations of the Gelang Patah election machinery,” he told reporters after presenting Chinese New Year goodies to families in Skudai here yesterday.
Present was Gelang Patah MCA chief Datuk Jason Teoh, who is believed to be the most likely candidate.
Hishammuddin said Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would announce the return of the seat to MCA.
At the 13th General Election, MCA loaned the Gelang Patah seat to Umno.
However, the Umno candidate and former Johor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman lost to DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, who won with a 14,762vote majority.
Voters in Gelang Patah, said Hishammuddin, should make the right decision this time.
“You can see for yourself that the MP (Lim) disappears after winning the seat in 2013 and only comes back here about three to four times a year,” he said, adding that voters deserved a representative who would always be around to solve their problems and not one who contested simply for the sake of winning.
Hishammuddin, who is also Defence and Special Functions Minister, also questioned the timing of the Opposition’s criticisms against China’s investments in Malaysia.
“Why did they not do the same when Dr Mahathir was the country’s prime minister? Why now and not before?
“Don’t tell me that there were no investments coming from China to Malaysia when he was the prime minister.”