Johor DAP chief to challenge election result

PETALING JAYA: Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong will file an election petition at the Johor Baru High Court to challenge the GE14 result for the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat.

His lawyer Datuk Yeo Yang Poh is scheduled to give a press conference on the matter by noon today, he said when contacted yesterday.

Yeo declined to comment on the issue until the election petition is filed.

Liew was defeated by MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong by 303 votes.

Dr Wee garnered 17,076 votes against 16,773 votes obtained by Liew.

A third candidate, Mardi Marwan of PAS, had 4,975 votes.

Dissatisfied candidates can file election petitions 21 days after the official results of the election are gazetted.

The GE14 results were gazetted on May 28, which means that the last day for Liew to file his petition is on June 18.

Meanwhile, PKR vice-president Tian Chua will make a representation to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) on whether he is qualified to stand for future elections.

His counsel Datuk Dr Gurdial Singh Nijar informed the Court of Appeal’s three-man panel yesterday that he would be writing to Attorney General Tommy Thomas for clarification on whether an MP could be disqualified from contesting the elections after being fined RM2,000 under Article 28(1)(e) of the Federal Constitution.

Following this, Gurdial requested for an adjournment of the appeal’s hearing pending the representation.

Justice Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, who led the panel, granted the adjournment.

He also said that Chua’s application to amend his originating summons and his appeal would be dealt by the Court of Appeal panel on the next date.

Chua, whose real name is Chua Tian Chang, had his nomination papers rejected by the returning officer on April 28 due to a RM2,000 fine imposed on him in a 2017 court case.