The Malaysian Insight

BALAKONG must vote for MCA in the coming by-election to ensure that the ruling Pakatan Harapan government is kept in check in a “healthy democracy”, said the party’s deputy president, Wee Ka Siong.

“We know in a healthy democracy, the ruling and opposition parties must co-exist. Now there are only four opposition representatives in the Selangor assembly. There needs to be a strong opposition for a two-party system to work,” Wee told dozens of residents at a late-night ceramah in Sg Chua, Kajang, yesterday.

About 30 MCA supporters braved the rain to listen to Wee and other MCA leaders, such as Gan Ping Sieu, speak while locals listened to the speeches from the comforts of two hawker centres and a mamak stall nearby.

Since the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat pact first won Selangor in 2008, the number of opposition legislators in the 56-seat state assembly had declined steadily from 20 in 2008, to 12 in 2013 and five this year. All of the opposition representatives in Selangor are currently from Barisan Nasional lynchpin party, Umno.

Wee said MCA’s Tan Chee Teong was a fearless candidate despite running for an election for the first time.

“He will be an opposition representative that PH will fear because he will be a constructive opposition. Give him a chance to check and balance the Selangor government. Let him ask questions about the water deal and when the four tolls in Balakong will be abolished,” said Wee, who is MCA’s sole member of parliament following the party’s crushing defeat in the May 9 general election.

MCA has been appealing to Balakong voters to send in one more opposition legislator into the Selangor assembly by voting for MCA on September 8.

DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, however, yesterday slammed Wee as not having any moral legitimacy to provide check and balance to PH until it apologises for its silence on Barisan Nasional’s corruption scandals. – August 23, 2018.