Duo shortlisted for Ipoh Timor seat

Perak DAP leaders, however, rule out speculations that Lim Kit Siang's daughter Lim Hui Ying will be fielded.

PETALING JAYA: Perak DAP leaders remained mum over the possible candidate to replace Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang. However, sources said the party had shortlisted two candidates who are the current state assemblymen in Ipoh Timur.

Both Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming were silent on the matter.

“The party committee will meet and discuss the issue. The meeting to discuss the replacement candidate for Ipoh Timur and candidates for other seats has not been finalised yet,” said Ngeh who is also Beruas MP and Sitiawan state representative.

Nga, meanwhile, told FMT that the candidacy for the seat would also be discussed during the Perak Pakatan Rakyat meeting soon.

The question over the replacement for Lim Kit Siang in Ipoh Timur arose after the DAP decided to make Johor its frontline state in the upcoming13th general election.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim yesterday announced that Kit Siang would contest the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat in Johor.

The announcement was made in Skudai during DAP’s 47th anniversary celebration rally.

A DAP source, however, revealed that the party had shortlisted the possible replacement for Ipoh Timur.

“One is Pasir Pinji state assemblyman Thomas Su Keong Siong and the other is Canning assemblyman Wong Kar Woh,” said the source.

Both Pasir Pinji and Canning are state constituencies within Ipoh Timur. Su is a two-term state representative whereas Wong is a first-term state assemblyman.

Ipoh Timur is an urban constituency with 80,328 voters. The Chinese make up 80% of the voters and Malays make up 15% of the voters and the Indians make up the balance.

The Ngah-Ngeh cousins also dismissed speculations that Kit Siang’s daughter Lim Hui Ying would be fielded as a candidate to replace her father.

“She was previously speculated for a state seat in Penang and she declined to contest. Let’s respect the Lim family’s wishes and focus on the general election,” said Ngeh.