Going by the last general elections result, it will be a tough fight ahead for Gerakan in the upcoming Ketari by-election in Pahang, party president Dr Lim Keng Yaik acknowledged today.

However, he remained confident that the ruling Barisan Nasional front, to which it belongs, will recapture its lost ground with the Malay voters.

In the last general elections, there had been a 17 percent reduction in the number of Malay votes and we already know that the Indian votes are very important. I am very confident we can bring those votes back, Lim said at a press conference in Bentong after a meeting with the Pahang Gerakan state committee over the by-election.

The updated electoral roll now has Malay Malaysian voters totalling 6,759 (38.94 percent); Chinese Malaysians numbering 9,372 (54.1); Indian Malaysians, 907 (5.23); and other Malaysians, 319 (1.84).

When asked the reasons for the decrease in the Malay Malaysian vote, Lim who is also primary industries minister, said it could have been due to lack of co-ordination between other BN components such as Umno and MCA.

There were also some local issues which were not solved but we have managed to overcome this in the past year and a half.

We will discuss with both Umno and MCA (on how) to minimise the weaknesses and maximise the strengths of our candidate, Lim said.

This is not a safe seat therefore we must have a strong campaign but I am confident that the spirit of the Barisan Nasional (will prevail), he added.

The party has yet to announce its candidate but has narrowed the choice down to Ketari branch chairperson, lawyer Yum Ah Ha, 51; deputy chairperson of Perting branch, dentist Dr Ng Kong Chai, 42; branch chairperson of Bandar Karak, commissioner of oaths Leong Yen Kong, 60, and Sungai Dua branch chairperson, logging operator Leong Ah Khuan, 46.

Lim added that the name of the candidate would only be announced after it has been vetted by Pahang Mentri Besar Adnan Yaakob and BN chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

It is believed that the selection would be narrowed down to Yum and Ng. The former is a fluent speaker of the kongsai dialect which gives him an added advantage as most of the Ketari Chinese speak the dialect.

Sympathy votes

Meanwhile, Lim also played down the threat posed by DAPs candidate Chong Siew Onn, saying that the opposition party could only obtain sympathy votes.

The Barisan Nasional candidate for Ketari in the 1999 general elections, Loke Kum Kam of Gerakan, won with a mere 231 vote majority, beating DAP which was then aligned with the opposition front, Barisan Alternatif.

Lokes death a week ago has brought about the by-election which must be held within 60 days.

DAP has confirmed it will be contesting the seat while PAS has announced it will not. Keadilan, however, has yet to decide whether it will make Ketari a three-cornered fight.

Keadilans merger partner PRM appeared to favour its candidacy as a press report today quoted PRM secretary-general Ang Hiok Gai as requesting that DAP move aside to let opposition front parties contest in a straight fight with BN.