GEORGE TOWN (April 30): The MCA has brushed aside any perceived threat to their voter base in the upcoming Bukit Gelugor by-election by the emergence of fledgling parties and independent faces wanting to join the fray.
"That is their constitutional right and you will see how many votes they can garner," quipped MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong when asked about the matter today.
Thus far, besides MCA's traditional opponent the DAP, four smaller entities have expressed already interest to contest the by-election in Penang on May 25.
They include a new outfit called the Penang Front Party which has yet to be registered by the Registrar of Societies, Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan who is a former vice-president of Gerakan and former Batu Kawan MP, Penang Malay Congress president Rahmat Isahak and a youngster named Mohd Yaacob Mohd Noor.
Wee stressed that any other party wishing to contest by hailing itself as a "third force" is only doing so as part of a strategy to gain prominence.
He also refuted reports that MCA has decided not to run in the by-election due to DAP purportedly being favourite to maintain hold of the seat.
He revealed that MCA had last week conducted a survey among more than 400 local voters from a cross-section of races, ages and income groups, to gain their electoral sentiments, opinions and general mindset over a variety of issues - including crime, hudud, GST, corruption, local authority, bureaucracy, government handling of the MH370 disappearance and so on.
The findings, which he declined to reveal, are to be deliberated at the top level of the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership. The coalition should then make the announcement of its decision before May 12 when nominations take place.
"We did an in-depth analysis. We know the pros and cons (of contesting)," he said.
"Whatever the decision made by the top leadership, we will adhere to it."
Wee was speaking at a press conference during a visit to the constituency here today. With him was MCA's Bukit Gelugor division head Datuk Koay Kar Huah who is a former state executive councillor.
The Bukit Gelugor seat became vacant following the death of its MP Karpal Singh, a DAP veteran leader, who was in his third term there, in a vehicle accident on April 17.
Karpal won the seat against MCA's Teh Beng Yeam by massive 41,778 majority votes in the last general election of 2013. Prior to that, Karpal had won the seat by 21,015 votes in 2008 and 1,261 votes in 2004.
Some 75% of the 62,000-odd voters here are Chinese.
Asked about the expected tide of support and sympathy for DAP due to the public grief over Karpal's death, Wee acknowledged this and said it was something the MCA needed time to think about.
He also expressed MCA's sharing of sorrow as felt by Karpal's family in his sudden demise.
He added that the party has a total of 8,029 members in more than 50 branches in the constituency who are being mobilised to prepare for the election.
"The instructions are for the ground (work) to move first," he said. "Whether we fight or don't fight, that will be secondary."
By Himanshu Bhatt, FZ
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