Marina Ibrahim, Chin Tong set to complete DAP line-up for Johor polls

JOHOR POLLS | DAP is expected to announce the last of their candidates for the Johor election, namely Skudai and Perling.

Malaysiakini understands that Marina Ibrahim is set to be unveiled as the candidate in Skudai while Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong (above) will be assigned to Perling.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng is scheduled to announce their candidacies at a hotel in Senai, Johor at 5pm today.

Previously, the party had announced a total of 12 candidates which were mostly done individually or in pairs as part of a state-wide visit by the party leadership.

Marina will be the DAP's second Malay candidate in the Johor polls.

The other is Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali who is the Paloh incumbent and will be defending his seat.

However, Sheikh Umar's plantations-focussed semi-rural constituency is DAP's toughest seat, which he won with 52.1 percent of the votes.

The seat comprises 47 percent Malays, 37 percent Chinese, 15 percent Indians and one percent others.

DAP's seats were won with between 51.2 percent to 79.47 percent of the votes in the 2018 general election.

On the opposite end of that spectrum is Skudai, making it DAP's safest seat. It comprises 64 percent Chinese, 23 percent Malays, 12 percent Indian and one percent others.

However, Marina was not originally slated to contest in Skudai.

DAP initially planned to cut a seat swap deal with PKR so that it can field Marina in Layang-Layang and had asked her to serve as the coordinator there.

Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik

However, PKR decided to keep the seat as it wanted to field Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik in Layang-layang. Maszlee is also touted as a potential menteri besar candidate.

After being informed of PKR's plan, DAP considered moving Marina to Bukit Permai but the seat was surrendered to Muda.

In the end, the DAP resolved to put Marina in Skudai. Meanwhile, Liew is expected to contest in Perling.

Liew in an awkward position

Perling has an even split between Malays and Chinese at 44 percent respectively while the Indian population is around 11 percent. DAP won the seat with 63.24 percent of the votes in the last general election.

Liew had been reluctant to contest in the Johor polls, preferring instead to contest in a federal seat during the next general election.

However, the DAP leadership was of the view that considering the state and federal polls were being held separately, its Johor chief should participate in the state polls.

It will be Liew's first time contesting in a state seat. He was previously the MP for Bukit Bendera and later Kluang.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong

He challenged MCA president Wee Ka Siong in the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat in 2018 but lost by a 303-vote majority.

The party directive has put Liew in an awkward position as both the incumbents in Skudai and Perling are his factional rivals who have accused him of trying to purge them.

Cheo Yee How, the incumbent in Perling, has been dropped. Tan Hong Pin also won't be re-fielded in Skudai as he will be fielded in the Labis parliamentary seat in the next general election.

Tan's supporters initially organised public protests accusing Liew of trying to purge Tan and his allies, a claim the central leadership has dismissed as untrue.

Tan, when contacted, was critical of the last-minute candidacies, stating that two weeks of campaigning was not enough to build a relationship with the local grassroots.

Tan said he is unsure which constituency he will assist the campaign in but believes he can contribute the most in Skudai.

However, he said he has yet to be approached.

Asked if he will assist if approached to assist as the incumbent, Tan said the key was sincerity.

"If you really think I can help, you shouldn't keep me in the dark on who is going to contest and how I can assist.

"Of course, I want to work in somewhere I am most familiar with," he said.

The full line-up of DAP candidates for the Johor polls:

• Ng Kor Sim (Jementah)

• M Kanan (Bekok)

• Ee Chin Li (Tangkak)

• Ng Yak Howe (Bentayan)

• Alan Tee Boon Tsong (Yong Peng)

• Gan Pech Cheng (Penggaram)

• Chew Chong Sin (Mengkibol)

• Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali (Paloh)

• Liow Cai Tung (Johor Jaya)

• Andrew Chen Kah Eng (Stulang)

• Liew Chin Tong (Perling) - to be announced

• Marina Ibrahim (Skudai) - to be announced

• Wong Bor Yang (Senai)

• Yeo Tung Siong (Pekan Nanas)

The nomination day for the Johor polls is on Feb 26. Johoreans will go to the polls on March 12. - Mkini