Lau to face Tian Chua again
Gerakan eyeing Batu seat once more
KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan vice-president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai is set to fight for the Batu parliamentary seat again. He was defeated by PKR vice-president Tian Chua in the last elections.
Batu is one of the two parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur eyed by Gerakan this time, said party president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.
The other seat – Kepong – will be contested by lawyer Ong Siang Liang.
“Lau is not new to the people in Batu. He stood in the previous elections and unfortunately he lost. But he continued working very hard for the people in Batu,” Mah told reporters yesterday.
Lau, who was present at the press conference, said: “I just want to say we have done a lot for the people in the past five years. The Gerakan operation centre did not shut down even though we lost.”
Mah also expressed confidence in wresting the Kepong seat from DAP, citing Ong’s efforts in reaching out to the voters in the previous years.
“Of course, we know that Kepong has always been a tough battle. But Ong, as a lawyer, has been giving the people free legal advice.
“He worked hard, from morning to night. So, I believe that we have a good chance in Kepong,” said Mah.
The Kepong seat was held by DAP veteran Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who is an eight-term lawmaker there.
But Dr Tan was dropped in favour of Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng.
Ong noted that the absence of Dr Tan could be an advantage to Gerakan.
“DAP is making a mistake by dropping him. It is an advantage to me and I will go all out. This is the time,” he said.
At another press conference, Mah said the party in Selangor would go for the Puchong parliamentary seat, and the state seats of Teratai, Bukit Gasing and Bukit Lanjan.
Selangor Gerakan chairman Datuk David Ang Chin Tat will stand in Puchong, youth organising secretary Ben Liew Pok Boon (Teratai), Selangor youth secretary Chai Ko Thing (Bukit Gasing), and Gerakan deputy speaker Syed Abdul Razak Alsagoff (Bukit Lanjan).
Mah said Gerakan was also targeting another state seat in the Kota Raja parliamentary constituency but declined to comment further as the matter was still under discussion.
Conceding that Gerakan had suffered a crushing defeat in Puchong during GE13, he however voiced confidence now as all Barisan component parties in Puchong were more united than before.
“Despite losing, Barisan has served the people in Puchong well in the past four years. Puchong is not going to be easy, but I think we have a fighting chance,” Mah said.
David Ang regarded his fight in Puchong as the battle between David and Goliath, referring to DAP’s two-term MP Gobind Singh Deo who is expected to defend the seat.
“I call this the David vs Goliath fight because he (Gobind) is a well known figure in DAP. But the people of Puchong will be the judge.
“I can guarantee the people that I will stay in Puchong, work for the people, and deliver good service to voters,” he said.
Gobind won the Puchong seat with a 32,802-vote majority against Gerakan’s A. Kolihan Pillay.