Pahang DAP eyes 92pct Malay-majority state seat in Pekan

Pahang DAP will field two Malay candidates for two state seats in the upcoming 14th general election (GE14).

State party chief Leong Ngah Ngah said this will be for the Mentakab and Pulau Manis state seats.

Mentakab, a mixed seat with 40 percent Chinese voters, is currently held by DAP's Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, while Pulau Manis is held by BN. He is expected to defend the seat.

Pulau Manis, meanwhile, is a 92-percent Malay seat that has been traditionally contested by PAS.

It was, however, once held by DAP Raub MP Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz (photo) in 2004, back when he was in Umno.

But it is unlikely that Ariff Sabri will contest in Pulau Manis again. He had a stroke in May last year, and Leong said he is still unwell.

"No names yet for Pulau Manis yet, we are still working on it," Leong told reporters when met in Kuantan today.

Meanwhile, Leong (photo) said DAP will also field at least two Indian candidates, who will be fielded for one parliamentary and state seat respectively.

In a press conference earlier today, Pahang Pakatan Harapan chief Fauzi Abdul Rahman announced that DAP would be contesting eight state seats.

Besides Mentakab and Pulau Manis, DAP will also be defending the seats it won in 2013, namely Tanah Rata, Tras, Bilut, Ketari, Sabai, and Teriang.

At the parliamentary level, DAP will also contest Cameron Highlands, Raub, and Bentong.

Leong, who is currently the Tanah Rata assemblyperson, did not discount the possibility of him contesting in Raub, but stressed that this had yet to be decided.

If he does defend Raub for DAP, he is likely to battle against MCA’s Chew Mei Fun, a former deputy minister of women, family and community development. Mkini