About 40,000 people in Kuala Kubu Baharu will go to the polling stations again on May 11 to vote for a new assemblyperson. The largest constituency in the state of Selangor will see a four-cornered contest following the death of its three-term assemblywoman Lee Kee Hiong from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), who had won the seat in the 2013, 2018 and 2022 General Elections.
After days of playing cards close to chest, DAP finally revealed its candidate – Pang Sock Tao, former press secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming. The decision to nominate a Chinese candidate was a strategy to maintain grassroots support for the party, rather than taking unnecessary gambles with a Malay or an Indian candidate.
The ethnic breakdown of Kuala Kubu Baharu’s electorate comprised 46% Malay, 30% Chinese and 18% Indian. The last time DAP fielded an Indian candidate was in 2008, when it lost by 448 votes. The party was smart enough to realize that it could not hoodwink the Malay voters, majority of whom had already made up their mind to vote for Malay-centric Perikatan Nasional – along the race and religion lines.
Thus, fielding a Malay candidate would be a tactical error as DAP will not be able to swing enough Malay voters to offset Chinese votes lost due to frustration or anger. Besides, it’s the job of UMNO-led Barisan Nasional to deliver the Malay votes. This by-election is supposed to test if Malay nationalist party UMNO should remain as a valuable partner in the next 16th General Election (2027).
Likewise, fielding an Indian candidate could create a perception that DAP lacks the confidence of its own Chinese grassroots. Apart from to the party’s existing support base of Indian supporters, it’s the job of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to charm the Indian voters with his dances to the late Tamil cinema superstar MG Ramachandran. Additionally, MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress) is also supposed to deliver Indian votes.
Forget scare tactic from former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy, who has been instigating the Hindus to boycott his former party DAP. The sour grape, ganging up with minions David Marshel and Satees Muniandy, could not even win a seat in the Penang state election. Now aligned to opposition Perikatan Nasional, he demanded an Indian candidate for Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election, only to be ignored.
However, Kuala Kubu Baharu isn’t a walk in the park for DAP. In fact, it could lose the seat. In the 2023 state election, Perikatan Nasional stunningly increased its support to 39% from just 13% captured in the 2018 polls. Those votes came from UMNO, whose voters were upset that they had to work with rival DAP after the formation of Unity Government between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.
Assuming DAP had received up to 95% of Chinese votes and 10% of Malay votes, it means the party captured 75% of Indian votes in the 2023 state election. The majority of 4,119 votes won by Lee Kee Hiong – translated to 15% of voter turnout – means DAP could lose if 10% Chinese and 5% Indian voters choose to stay at home this round to protest Anwar-led Pakatan Harapan.
Make no mistake. It’s absolutely possible that more than 15% voters (especially Indian) in Kuala Kubu Baharu who had voted in 2023 for DAP, a component party of Pakatan Harapan, to either stay out of this by-election or even vote the Opposition to teach PM Anwar a lesson. Anwar, who allowed racist and extremist UMNO to bully and terrorize Chinese business interests, is increasingly unpopular.
Worse, the prime minister has shown he was more interested in protecting and defending Palestinians and even Hamas terrorists than fellow Malaysian Chinese and Indian. To cling to power, not only UMNO president Zahid Hamidi was allowed to walk away from all 47 corruption charges, Anwar has been evasive when grilled whether crooked Najib Razak will be allowed to be jailed from home.
Fortunately, MCA president Wee Ka Siong came to the rescue. Like a childish cry baby, he throws tantrums – announcing that his party will not campaign for bitter rival DAP. He complained – “After happily insulting MCA, now you want MCA to help campaign for DAP? Do you think MCA has no dignity or feelings, when my party members are insulted by DAP leaders, should I, as the MCA president, remain silent?”
MCA has every reason to be upset. Since the state constituency was created in 1974, it has been held by ethnic Chinese. Except in the 5th General Election (1978-1982), where DAP snatched the seat, Kuala Kubu Baharu had been the fixed deposit of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) for 35 years – till an uprising of angry Chinese community against MCA in the 13th national polls in 2013.
At its peak, the representative of Malaysian Chinese ethnicity captured more than 1-million Chinese votes and won a whopping 31 parliamentary seats in the 2004 General Election. But under Wee Ka Siong leadership beginning 2018, MCA has only 2 seats today. Even then, the miserable Wee had to depend on the 60% hardcore UMNO-Malay voters in Ayer Hitam to keep his seat.
In the November 2022 election, Wee led MCA to win only 665,436 total votes. The party possessed less than 5% support from the Chinese community it claims to represent. Up to 95% of the ethnic has long abandoned MCA in favour of DAP. Yet, it was these 5% votes which MCA thought DAP desperately wanted, leading to Wee arrogantly makes a mountain out of a mole.
Mr Wee and his minions hate DAP not because their Chinese supporters have been snatched away, but rather because MCA leaders have lost important ministry portfolios such as Health, Transport, Human resources and Housing and Local Government. During its glory period in 2004, MCA was given 4 Cabinet Ministers, 8 Deputy Ministers and 4 Parliamentary Secretaries.
Today, DAP has become the new powerhouse with 5 Cabinet Ministers and 6 Deputy Ministers. Essentially, MCA had lost access to gravy trains which enriched its leaders, cronies and family members through corruption or kickbacks in projects and dubious deals. Wee became a billionaire himself through his 47% stake in Hijau Sekitar Sdn Bhd, which was a sub-contractor of PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone) project that exploded into a RM12 billion scandal.
While MCA’s vengeful right hand flashes the protest card against DAP, its treachery left hand actually signals to its hardcore supporters to vote for racist and extremist Perikatan Nasional. That despite racist bigot Muhyiddin said Christians were working with Jews to Christianise Malaysia, whilst Hadi tried to radicalise people with violent Islamic extremism during the 2022 national polls.
It’s worth noting that Chinese traitor Wee Ka Siong was the first to scramble to sign the statutory declaration to support traitor Muhyiddin Yassin as the 10th Prime Minister after the 2022 election which produced a hung parliament. People still remember how backdoor PM Muhyiddin previously launched a political coup to steal the Pakatan Harapan government through treachery and betrayal in 2020.
MCA’s daily war drums against DAP has reminded not only Chinese voters in Kuala Kubu Baharu about the real enemy who is quietly campaigning for Perikatan Nasional, but also diverts attention from Anwar’s poor leadership. The initial despise of DAP silence and Anwar’s indecision has turned into hatred of MCA treasonous and the Opposition’s dangerous racism and radical Islamisation.
Sure, Anwar-led unity government will remain unchanged even if DAP loses Kuala Kubu Baharu. However, it will give MCA the bragging rights to insult 95% Chinese voters who had voted for Pakatan Harapan, not to mention it will embolden the despicable Wee to attack and weaken the government. Wee should have pretended to willingly help DAP, at least to show MCA is a team player.
Like it or not, this by-election could become extremely “racially polarizing” as both Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional have nominated candidates of different ethnicity. It would become Malay versus Chinese contest. MCA’s attack on DAP is a vote for racist and extremist Perikatan Nasional. DAP does not need MCA. But the more MCA criticises DAP, the more Chinese want to vote for DAP.
- Finance Twitter
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
