However, being the President of MCA whose base is in Johor, I wonder if it is the right move.
Let us take a look at what Dr Chua Soi Lek will be facing. Perak MCA consists of strong leaders who weren't in the same page as Dr Chua before the Party EGM election on 28 March 2010 (328).
Notably, Datuk Lee Chee Leong was with Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and he was frequently seen in campaigns with the former MCA President. (Datuk Lee received support from all 3 camps in the recent election which made him a CC member with the most votes)Another heavyweight is the popular Perak politician Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, whose support was given to Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting for his Presidential bid in March.
Ka Chuan is currently the MP for Tanjung Malim which is categorized as a safe seat for Barisan Nasional.
Changes of plans on the part of the incumbent could also spark a "misunderstanding" between the camps of the popular Perak politician and the Party President.
With the President holding the baton in Perak, any failure to lead his charges to victory will be used to assess the President's popularity, support and leadership be it the result of a machinery sabotage or a genuine lack of public support.
The situation is quite fragile, I must say. Any wrong move will be disastrous and I hope everyone sticks together for the Party's plans in Perak.
DAP currently has more seats than MCA in Parliament and they certainly have more support from the Chinese as compared to MCA, generally speaking, with or without internal conflicts (an excuse used by MCA for the poor Chinese support in Hulu Selangor).DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang is based in Ipoh Timur together with titans of DAP such as M Kulasegaran in Ipoh Barat and Fong Po Kuan in Batu Gajah ( who is very quiet since 2008 by the way, why? ).
It will be hard for any local MCA leaders to break DAP apart in Perak, but let's leave that aside for now. It is certainly a mammoth task even for Dr Chua Soi Lek, from Johor, to win it big for Perak MCA.Take a look at the current list of MCA big names in Perak.
- Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek (Former Health Minister, MCA President)
- Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha (Cabinet Minister, MCA Secretary General)
- Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan (MCA Central Committee member, Former Cabinet Minister),
- Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon (MCA Deputy Youth Chief, Perak State Exco)
- Datuk Tan Chin Meng (MCA Central Committee member, Perak MCA Secretary, Special Officer to MB)
- Senator Heng Seai Kie (Wanita MCA Vice Chairman, Deputy Minister)
- Datuk Lee Chee Leong (MCA Central Committee member, Deputy Minister)
Perak MCA lost badly in the 12th General Election. With so many top ranked Party and Government leaders from Perak, I don't know what to say if Perak MCA fails recapture a majority of seats contested in the next election.
Failure is certainly unacceptable.
Perhaps these big wigs from MCA has acknowledged that the job against the DAP is much palatable for them compared to Penang and elsewhere now that BN particularly UMNO are making good strides in Perak. All the hue and cry on “intellectual” issues as a front, these MCA big wigs are looking for safer seats for their future survival.
ReplyDeleteJohor may spring a surprise here.
ReplyDeleteDemographically and economically, the profile of Johor mirrors Selangor.
As the next silent frontline state for PR, the Chinese swing may yet have a delayed lifespan come GE13.
Quite a number of MCA seats in DUN & Parliament may fall to DAP/PKR.
If Sibu Chinese as parochial East Malaysian can reflect national realignment in recent by-election, there's no reason to think Johor Chinese with much more exposure and mobility to Klang Valley, Penang & Singapore will act differently come GE13.
The electoral dynamics is the realignment of Chinese votes to mirror recent national trend.
70% or even 80% support for PR is very real. Recent by-elections has entrenched the numbers some more.
Beware the undercurrents of the second wave...
Again with Johor Indian votes split 50-50 as per recent national trends, the fall of BN in Johor is then a plausible scenario also.
The Johor Malay voters is the wild card here. Any slight swing to PR is highly detrimental to BN Johor.
Perak in danger? Or Johor?
~ Barbarian at the Gate
po kuan will leave politics soon. she has a family to care for now, probably...
ReplyDeleteThe point is whoever is put in Perak is not going to affect the sentiments of the locals who are still angry about the coup that happened last year. I'm surprised how fast you have forgotten the day the rights of the people's voices were stomped upon.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and fight in Perak, Porn King. We already have the famous whore waiting in Jelapang, another porn tape in the making? I hope not, she's too ugly to even bed. Then again, he's too old to be blown and yet he did. I guess everything's possible.
What can MCA offer to get voters to vote for them?
ReplyDeleteI mean, they are already part of current the ruling government (for the past 20 years). If they can't show results now, how will voting for them in the next GE allow them to show results?
What is their response to recent statements that the Malaysian government would go bankrupt before 2020 if subsidies are not removed?
So MCA is 100% supportive of removal of subsidies? What about GST?
What about recently revealed info from Dr. M that there is a radioactive dumpsite in Perak? Was the then Perak MCA leaders aware and did they agree to allowing the dumpsite?
How about sports betting licenses? What is MCA's stand on it? There are no concerns on the social impact? They are happy as long as they can collect money from the license?
How about the setting up of nuke plants in Malaysia?
Vote for MCA means:
you support removal of subsidies
you support GST
you support nuclear energy
I wonder? How many voters out there truly support these?