GE13: Temperature rising in Johor

 

(The Star) – Temperatures are rising in Johor which has been in the spotlight for several days with DAP heavyweight Lim Kit Siang contesting the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat, and now with PKR state chairman Datuk Chua Jui Meng slotted to take on MIC depuuty president Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam in Segamat.

But just when the question of Chua’s candidacy seemed to have been settled, Lim appeared to have thrown a spanner in the works.

Opposition Leader and PKR adviserDatuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced last night that Chua would contest the Segamat parliamentary seat, but Lim in a press statement made it clear that DAP’s agreement to this hinged on the two parties settling disputes on all seat allocations in Johor.

Even so, Chua’s candidacy seemed all but certain.

Chua “disappeared” for two weeks after DAP adviser Lim was named as the candidate for Gelang Patah which the former MCA stalwart had apparently been eyeing.

Subramaniam, the Human Resources Minister, was the Segamat MP before the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat on April 3, and is expected to defend the seat.

Chua admitted that it would not be easy for him to win over the voters in Segamat on very short notice.

“It is going to be a challenge for me as the voters are very different from those that I have been working with in Gelang Patah. But with full support from the local PKR and other Pakatan leaders in the area, I am confident we can win the seat,” he said yesterday.

The Malays make up 43% and Indians 10% of voters in the constituency, with the rest being Chinese and a smaller number of Orang Asli.

In Putrajaya, Dr Subramaniam said that Chua was a “good friend” when the former Health Minister was in Barisan Nasional.

“He was one of those who campaigned from house to house for me, Now he is going to campaign against me.

“I’m looking forward to a good and healthy fight and I think that we (Barisan) stand a good chance of winning,” he added.

Dr Subramaniam became a two-term MP in Segamat after defeating DAP’s Pang Hok Liong by a majority of 2,991 votes in 2008.

He believed that the support of the Indian community for Barisan had increased since the last elections.

In Petaling Jaya, MIC secretary general Datuk S. Murugessan said the party was ready for the battle in Segamat “regardless of who we have to go against”.

He said that Subramaniam had worked hard to serve his constituents.

Meanwhile, Pang Hok Liong, who announced a few days ago that he would be fielded in Segamat, is expected to hold a press conference to express his displeasure over the latest development.

Pang, who had been contesting in Segamat since the 1980s, said recently that he was willing to give way to any PKR candidate except Chua, whom he described as a non-winner.

He has even threatened a three-cornered fight if Chua was to contest in Segamat.