The Malaysian Insight

A VICTORY for Barisan Nasional in Tanjung Piai will show that MCA can win again, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

“A victory for Wee (Jeck Seng) in Tg Piai will mean that MCA can win and is capable of rising again,” said the former Umno Youth chief at the MCA Pontian operations centre on Jalan Sg Gurap today.

MCA, the second oldest party in BN after Umno, has suffered a drastic decline since the first anti-BN wave began in 2008.

From the 31 federal seats it won in the 2004 elections, MCA has lost federal seats consecutively, down to 15 (in 2008) and seven (in 2013).

In the last election, MCA was left with only one federal seat – Ayer Hitam – which was won by the then deputy president Dr Wee Ka Siong.

Khairy, who is campaigning for Wee for the first time since the Tg Piai by-election began on November 2, said this was a “dangerous” by-election for Pakatan Harapan.

“DAP say that a vote for Wee is the same as a vote for PAS but they forget that they too had partnered PAS last time.

“The difference is BN is with PAS on the condition that there must be MCA and MIC.”

The Rembau MP said that Umno has demonstrated the spirit of BN when it was pressured by the local grassroots to contest in the Tg Piai by-election.

“However, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi made a good decision when he decided to let MCA contest in this by-election.

“If Umno contested here (although this is a MCA seat) and won, it would mean that we didn’t think MCA is important. It would be as if they have disappeared,” said Khairy.

The 43-year-old said the tide was turning in BN’s favour because there were more chairs than people in the last two DAP ceramah.

“It means that it’s not true that the Chinese do not support BN. They have pride and they can see after two years how PH has failed to live up to its promises on the PTPTN and UEC issues.”

This is the ninth by-election since GE14 with PH leading 5-3 at the moment. BN has won three of the last four: Cameron Highlands, Semenyih and Rantau, losing Sandakan.

The Tg Piai seat is being contested by six parties: Karmaine Sardini (PH), Wee (BN), Wendy Subramaniam (Gerakan), Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz (Berjasa), and independents Faridah Aryani Abd Ghaffar and Ang Chuan Lock.

The 52,986-person constituency consists of 57% Malay and 42% Chinese voters. – November 10, 2019.