Annuar: Let Zahid, Wee resolve Umno or MCA for Tg Piai 'headache'

BN has still not decided whether Umno or MCA would contest in the upcoming Tanjung Piai by-election in Johor.

Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa said this was a "headache" which Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and MCA president Wee Ka Siong must resolve.

"You can't say that it's likely (for Umno to contest). A study had been done about the voters' desires... and there are two main views.

"One, MCA lost recently (in 2018 general election) so let us try Umno, and two, MCA didn't lose by much so why not give MCA another chance.

"So let the (Umno and MCA) presidents bear the headache (of sorting this out)," he told reporters in Parliament this afternoon.

Tanjong Piai has been traditionally contested by MCA, although there are now calls for Umno to take over the seat, where 57 percent of the electorate are Malays and 42 percent, Chinese.

In the 14th general election, MCA's Wee Jeck Seng lost the seat by just 524 votes.

PAS, which has now formed an alliance with Umno, had bagged 2,962 votes. This could turn the tide if Umno contested the seat.

Annuar said representations have been made to Zahid, but this has to be discussed with BN first.

He said the coalition hopes to announce a candidate a week before nomination day on Nov 2.

Previously, Umno supreme council member Lokman Adam was among those who argued in MCA's favour.

The Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of its incumbent, Bersatu's Dr Md Farid Md Rafik.

Polling is on Nov 16.

 - Mkini