PAKATAN Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has recently said the coalition has yet to decide on a candidate for the Kuala Kubu Bharu (KKB) state legislative assembly (DUN).
The seat was made vacant following the demise of its three-term DAP incumbent Lee Kee Hiong on March 21.
The Election Commission (EC) has set polling day for the KKB by-election for May 11 (Saturday). According to EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh on April 4, nomination day will be on April 27 (Saturday) while early voting will be on May 7 (Tuesday).
Prospects of who will be fielded by the unity government has sparked some excitement given that KKB has traditionally been a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold till 2013 when the late Lee wrested control of the state constituency from MCA’s Ooi Hui Wen with a majority of 1,702 votes.
As BN is now an integral part of the unity government – hence putting both DAP and arch-rival MCA under one roof – there can only be one candidate from the ruling coalition. As such, the decision as to whether priority should be accorded to MCA or the incumbent DAP to contest the vacant KKB state seat is subject to debate among the PH-BN top brass.
Interestingly, there have been open talks in recent times of the 2019 Tanjong Piai parliamentary by-election in which incumbent Bersatu contested on behalf of then ruling PH government but eventually lost with a landslide margin to MCA’s vice-president Wee Jeck Seng (25,486 votes vs 10,380 votes for a majority of 15,086 votes).
Will PH (in this case) face a similar defeat in the KKB by-election given its poor track record in contesting by-elections?
However, MCA’s ‘fat hopes’ to contest in the KKB by-election are seemingly slim judging from the announcement of BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on March 22 that the coalition will not contest the forthcoming KKB by-election despite Malay voters now making up more than 50% of the electorate there.
“Out of respect for the unity government, I believe that our colleagues in UMNO as well as within BN should acknowledge that the seat belongs to our partner in the unity government (DAP),” Zahid who is also the UMNO president pointed out while stating that such decision was reached at the party’s supreme council meeting earlier that day.
However, Selangor MCA Youth chief Tan Jie Sen has hit out at Zahid’s stance as made without consulting other BN allies.
According to Oriental Daily, Tan claimed that this demonstrates Zahid’s arrogance and lack of respect towards BN’s coalition partners.
Therefore, Tan has proposed that MCA contest the KKB by-election independently and assume the role of “opposition in Selangor” should the party emerge victorious in the by-election. – April 13, 2024
Main image credit: Malaysian Chinese Association
