GE14 | BN has dropped MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan as a candidate for the coming general election and, in a surprise move, retained Husni Hanadzlah as their candidate for Tambun.
Ong, the two-term incumbent Tanjung Malim MP was replaced by Perak MCA chief Dr Mah Hang Soon. Mah is set to face PKR's Chang Lih Kang and PAS' Mohd Tarmizi Abd Rahman.
Ong, who is the brother of former MCA president Ong Ka Ting, was a four-term state assemblyperson from 1986 to 2004.
He then won the Tanjung Malim seat in the 2008 general election and successfully defended the seat in 2013.
This is likely the first time in recent elections where the MCA secretary-general would not be fielded as a candidate.
As for Mah, being fielded as a parliamentary candidate is a step up after serving two terms as a state cabinet member.
On April 2, Ong, 64, told the media that he is prepared to step aside if the party leadership has a more suitable candidate for the Tanjung Malim seat.
In a statement today, Ong pledged to help MCA and other BN component parties in their campaign across the country.
"I would also like to appeal to all of my supporters to continue supporting the candidates from MCA and BN component parties , in order to ensure their victory," he said.
Tanjung Malim is considered a safe seat for MCA. In the 2013 polls, Ong had retained the seat with a 4,328 vote-majority, defeating PKR's Tan Yew Kew.
Ong, who is the caretaker second minister for international trade and industry, had been a school teacher before switching to politics.
He had also served as the housing and local government minister from 2008 to 2009.
As for Husni, BN's decision to field him comes as a surprise since he does not hold any positions in the party since 2016.
Furthermore, several party sources had confirmed that Husni was not nominated by the Tambun Umno division to defend his seat and instead nominated division deputy chief Aminuddin Md Hanafiah.
Husni was in the public spotlight in 2015 and 2016 because he was the government spokesperson on the 1MDB affair as then finance minister II. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.