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Monday, April 15, 2013

DAP seeks to reinforce presence in Johor


GE13 WATCH Given the strong possibility that DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang could square off with Umno strongman Abdul Ghani Othman in the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency, another national DAP leader may be brought in as reinforcement in southern Johor.

NONEMCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek had reportedly confirmed to the party’s Gelang Patah division at a meeting yesterday that the seat will be given to Umno. 

Following this, the DAP’s top leadership including secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Kit Siang called a meeting at Johor last night.

Their focus was the candidacy for Kulai, a parliamentary constituency adjacent to Gelang Patah with 56 percent of Chinese voters - the highest in Johor.

The candidate has yet to be decided, but he or she will play a crucial role in reinforcing the DAP’s election campaign in the state.

It is learnt that the two shortlisted candidates - incumbent Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and incumbent Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua - have offered to contest in Kulai.

"We believe that the two young leaders will help DAP to win the hearts of young voters of all races due to their vibrant image and a national profile, while Teo will also be able to garner support from women voters," a party insider told Malaysiakini last night.

The duo who originate from Batu Pahat, Johor, have drawn tremendous response from Chinese voters during their campaign in various towns around the state in recent weeks.

azlanBoth were at the meeting last night, but no final decision was made because Ghani's candidacy in Gelang Patah has yet to be officially confirmed.

Selangor DAP chief Teresa Kok, who was asked to fly to Johor on the earliest flight yesterday was at the meeting, not as a potential candidate but to discuss the candidates and leadership adjustment in Selangor should Pua or Teo move to Johor.

Kok is the incumbent MP for Seputeh and state assemblyperson for Kinrara, but is expected to defend only one of these seats in the 13th general election.

BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak delivered appointment letters to candidates this morning in Kuala Lumpur.

Ghani is to officially announce the list for Johor tomorrow morning in Johor Bahru, while Guan Eng will announce the candidate for Kulai tomorrow evening in the constituency.

PKR, PAS heavyweights ‘missing’


However, sending Teo or Pua to Kulai may not be enough to save Kit Siang if PAS and PKR fail to get the support of Malay voters - the key to winning Gelang Patah as well as many other seats targeted by Pakatan Rakyat in Johor. 

Unlike Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang, there is no seat in Johor where Chinese Malaysians make up more than 70 percent of the voters.

azlanHence, much will depend on Pakatan’s ability to find multi-ethnic supportamong voters, a prolonged weakness that the coalition has been struggling to overcome, particularly among Malay voters.

A close look at PKR and PAS campaign in Johor thus far will disappoint many Pakatan supporters.

The DAP is to field at least two national leaders in the front-line state - Kit Siang in Gelang Patah and party strategist Liew Chin Tong in Kluang.

However, PAS has only sent its vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, who is seen as Pakatan's menteri besar candidate, to contest both the Pulai parliamentary constituency and the Nusajaya state seat.

Salahuddin’s campaign is far behind that of the indefatigable Kit Siang, who holds press conferences and ceramah almost daily. 

DAP campaign workers in Pengkalan Rinting, a state seat under Pulai, have complained that the PAS campaign machinery in the area is far from effective. 

azlanPKR, which has the weakest grassroots support in Johor, raised eyebrows when it announced that former army chief Gen (Rtd) Md Hashim Hussein, who is a 'Tan Sri', will contest in Johor Bahru to challenge popular Umno incumbent Shahrir Samad.

Even being PKR's sole 'star candidate', Hashim has hardly been seen in public since his announcement as a candidate on April 2. Local reporters grumbled that Hashim's aides have told them that his schedule is “top secret”.

Hashim is a political novice who joined the party last month and has since been parachuted to Johor Bahru. 

It is understood that he has been working hard over the past few weeks to win over the PKR grassroots, hence the delay in cranking up his campaign machinery.

Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng has been tied up with his campaign in Segamat, a parliamentary constituency in northern Johor. Even if he could allocate time to revving up support in southern Johor, his influence would be limited to Chinese voters.

In addition, bad blood between PKR and DAP due to the prolonged seat dispute in the state has significantly weakened their working relationship. It is notable that PKR candidates seldom appear at DAP ceramahs and vice-versa.

NONEKit Siang, when asked about the absence of heavyweight leaders from PAS and PKR during a press conference yesterday morning, conceded that "DAP is used to fighting lone battles".

It is obvious that Johor Pakatan has yet to portray a united multi-ethnic line-up, which will be crucial if it is to break BN's tight grip on racially mixed constituencies.

With only a month left before judgment day, the 'political tsunami' in Johor desired by Kit Siang may have to be downgraded to a 'storm' if Pakatan does not get its act together - and it can then kiss Putrajaya goodbye as well.

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