Wee: Whether it’s DAP or Amanah, I will defend Ayer Hitam

PETALING JAYA: MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong says he is confident of beating any challenger from the opposition for his Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat which he won three times in a row.

“I am not worried and I am prepared to face any challenger, whether from the DAP or Amanah. I will defend the seat based on my record of service and with the support of the Barisan Nasional machinery,” he told FMT.

Wee was responding to speculation that Pakatan Harapan (PH) has allocated the Johor seat to DAP but the party might pick a candidate from Amanah to run on its ticket.

Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong said the choice of an Amanah candidate to contest the seat for DAP was an option.

“That has been discussed,” he said when asked about the speculation of DAP’s strategy for Ayer Hitam.

The electorate in Ayer Hitam comprises 56% Malays, 38% Chinese and 4% Indians.

Wee, who is a minister in the prime minister’s department, said he would not be surprised if DAP fielded someone from Amanah.

He said he had contested and won against a proxy candidate before when PAS nominated Hu Pang Chow, the then head of the PAS supporters’ club, in the 2013 general election.

“Hu had used the DAP platform to campaign,” he added.

Despite his public show of confidence, Wee’s winning margin in Ayer Hitam has been declining steadily over the last three general elections.

He defeated a PAS candidate in 2004 with a majority of 15,763 votes, which dropped to 13,909 votes in 2008, also against a challenger from PAS.

In 2013, Wee defended the seat against Hu but his majority was further cut to 7,310 votes. -FMT