Fierce fights in MCA safe seats expected

SEVERAL MCA safe seats are expected to see fierce fights between their incumbents and DAP stalwarts in the 14th general election (GE14).

According to a report in Sin Chew Daily, MCA vice-president Datuk Chua Tee Yong will most likely be challenged by Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, the son of the late Karpal Singh, the former party president.

In the last general election, the Opposition won five parliamentary and 18 state seats in Johor, and Chua scraped through with a slim majority of 353 votes to keep Labis, an MCA stronghold.

Chua made his polls debut in GE12, taking the place of his father, former party chief Tan Sri Chua Soi Lek, who opted not to contest.

Labis is a mixed constituency with Chinese, Malays and Indians making up 46%, 36% and 15% of the electorate respectively.

A party source disclosed that in GE13, Chua received only 25% of the Chinese votes, 65% of the Malay votes and about 70% of the Indian votes.

So it was the strong Indian support that helped him retain the seat.

Should PAS decide to throw a spanner in the works and make it a three-cornered fight in the coming polls, thus splitting the Malay votes, and in the absence of a swing in Chinese back to the Barisan Nasional, it will be an uphill battle for Chua, even if his opponent is not Gobind.

Asked for his comments on speculation that DAP would field him in Labis, Gobind, who is party deputy president, did not confirm nor deny it, saying “anything is possible”.

He told the daily the party has yet to finalise the candidate for Labis.

Earlier, it was reported that Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong will take on MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong in the Ayer Hitam parliamentary constituency.

DAP is also expected to field Kulai MP Tee Nee Ching in Yong Peng, one of the state seats under Ayer Hitam, in addition to a parliamentary seat.