Subang Jaya councillor to contest under new Pakatan banner
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP will contest the Balakong state seat in Selangor under the new Pakatan Harapan banner, in a first for the newly registered political coalition.
This was announced by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng when announcing Subang Jaya municipal councillor Wong Siew Ki as DAP’s candidate for the by-election.
The announcement ends previous speculation on who would stand in the constituency vacated by Eddie Ng Tien Chee who died in a road accident recently.
Lim said Wong was chosen based on recommendations from the Selangor DAP and her track record for grassroots work.
“This is an important area for DAP. Ng was one of our best assemblymen and we still feel the loss,” Lim added.
Previously, broadcast journalist Yunna Tan was tipped to contest the seat, before Wong’s name surfaced over the weekend.
In GE14, Ng beat opponents Lim Chin Wah (Barisan Nasional), and Mohamad Ibrahim Ghazali (PAS), to win the Selangor state seat by over 35,000 votes.
Wong said she would submit her resignation as MPSJ councillor and get to work on the by-election.
“Ng did a lot as an assemblyman, and there was so much more he could have done, especially with the change in government.
“We’ll have to go all out, as there’s no such thing as a safe seat,” said Wong, adding that she would contin- ue Ng’s legacy and continue working to improve Balakong.
Selangor DAP chairman Tony Pua said Pakatan would not just work to defend Balakong, and he hoped voters would come out in droves.
“This is not just to commemorate Ng, but to give a large mandate to our candidate, to DAP and PH to show that citizens are supportive of our ongoing efforts,” Pua said.
The by-election will take place on Sept 8, with nomination day fixed for Aug 18, leaving over 20 days of campaigning for both Wong and MCA opponent Tan Chee Teong.
Wong, who joined DAP in 2014, graduated from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2009 and produced documentaries between 2012 and 2016.
Aside from serving as Seri Kembangan assemblyman and Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah’s political secretary, she was also Subang Jaya municipal councillor from 2016 onwards.
Wong also helped produce videos and campaign materials during the Sarawak state elections in 2016 and for GE14.