The Malaysian Insight

MCA will discuss the Tanjung Piai by-election with the rest of Barisan Nasional once the Election Commission sets nomination and polling dates, the Chinese party’s president Wee Ka Siong said.

“I met BN president (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) this morning to discuss the issue of the Tanjung Piai by-election. After the Election Commission announces the details on October 1, we will have a BN meeting, which all BN leaders will attend,” he told reporters after chairing the MCA central committee meeting today.

He was asked if MCA would contest the seat, which it won in three out of four elections since the seat was created in 2003.

It is unclear now if MCA will be given the seat again, given its poor performance in recent elections and the swing in Chinese votes to Pakatan Harapan.

Umno has said it should contest the seat, which is a mixed seat of 57% Malay voters, Chinese (42%) and Indian (1%).

Wee said it’s normal for other parties to offer themselves whenever a by-election is held.

“We believe will uphold the process (of choosing the candidate) and there will be different suggestions or ideas. 

“But once the leadership makes the decision, all of us have to respect and abide by the decision,” Wee said.

In the 14th general election (GE14) last year, MCA’s Wee Jeck Seng, the seat’s two-term incumbent, lost to Dr Md Farid Md Rafik of Bersatu by a slim 524 votes.

Farid won 21,255 votes, however, the combined votes for PAS candidate Nordin Othman and Jeck Seng came to 23,693.

The seat fell vacant last week after Farid died of a heart attack. – September 26, 2019.