Kuala Lumpur round-up Kuala Lumpur is expected to be the site of several crowd pullers in the general election, particularly with two Keadilan high-profile candidates tipped to be fielded in marginal constituencies.

Of the 11 parliamentary seats up for grabs, six are deemed to be marginal constituencies - those where incumbents won by less than five percent of total votes in the last general election. ( See chart )

In Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah, the daughter of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, is a likely contender against incumbent and Wanita Umno deputy chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who scraped through in 1999 with a slim majority of 1,454 votes.

When contacted today, Nurul Izzah ( photo ) declined to confirm the speculation but left open the possibility that she would submit to the wishes of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan), of which her mother, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is president.

"My final examinations are due right after the elections. If the timing does not clash, I might consider (contesting)...I am not ruling out the possibility completely," she said.

Lembah Pantai was among the most closely observed seat in the previous polls. The ballots had to be recounted several times before Shahrizat was declared the victor over rival and lawyer Zainur Zakaria of Keadilan.

'Disappearing' opposition

Another marginal constituency that may see a lively contest is Batu to which both Keadilan and DAP have staked a claim.

Keadilan may field its vice-president Tian Chua ( photo ) while DAP is said to have made preparations to field rookie Susann Chan.

A mixed constituency with a predominantly middle to lower-middle class voter profile, Batu has the potential to be a fertile fighting ground for the opposition. However, some of the advantage may be negated by the presence of railway workers and army personnel, who are often considered supporters of Barisan Nasional (BN), the ruling coalition.

When contacted, Chua appeared to be keeping his options open, saying only that he is likely to contest either in Kedah or Kuala Lumpur.

However, a party source said an arrangement is being worked out for Chua to do both - take on the Batu parliamentary seat and the Lunas state seat in Kedah.

Despite this, Batu MP Ng Lip Yong (BN-Gerakan) maintains that he is still "very confident" of retaining his seat this time round with a higher majority than the 2,297 votes he secured in 1999.

"Where has the opposition been these four years? After they lost the seat, they abandoned it," he claimed.

Ng rejected suggestions that his success was due largely to the high number of postal votes and said these only contributed an additional 100 votes or so to his tally.

Keadilan will also field a candidate in another marginal seat - Bandar Tun Razak - against MCA MP Tan Chai Ho who won by only 1,224 votes against former Keadilan vice-president Dr Chandra Muzaffar.

Tan, who is the deputy minister of energy, communications and multimedia, is expected to defend his seat although his contender from Keadilan has yet to be named.

Speculation over the candidate has varied between Tian Chua to Keadilan deputy Youth chief Faisal Sanusi.

Faisal, who was the Youth chief of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) prior to its merger with the original Keadilan entity, has been pitched by his colleagues for the Lembah Pantai seat although this is said to be dependent on Nurul Izzah's decision on whether or not to contest.

"Faisal is (a local) in Kuala Lumpur and he will be contesting in a parliamentary seat. So he will definitely be considered for one of the KL seats," said a party insider.

Weakening strongholds

Of the three other marginal seats, two are currently held by DAP members of Parliament - in Kepong by long-time incumbent Dr Tan Seng Giaw and in Bukit Bintang by one-term incumbent Fong Kui Lun.

Seng Giaw ( photo), who has held the Kepong seat since 1976, is likely to be challenged once again by Gerakan candidate Ma Woei Chyi.

Ma said he has done extensive ground work in the area and predicts that the contest will be a "tough" one.

However, Seng Giaw expects to widen his margin back to more comfortable levels since DAP has divorced itself from the Islamic state agenda of its former ally PAS.

Kepong, a constituency with 90 percent Chinese voters, was particularly affected by DAP's alliance with PAS in 1999, whittling the DAP's majority from more than 5,000 votes in 1995 to a mere 1,766 votes.

Seng Giaw's compatriot at Bukit Bintang, Fong also faces a tough challenge in securing victory again in the Chinese-majority constituency.

Although traditionally a DAP stronghold, the incumbent only managed to squeeze through with 1,134 votes to beat his challenger from MCA, Dr Lee Chong Meng.

Fong said several developments over the past year are likely to have moved things in his favour, such as the much opposed closure of Jalan Bukit Bintang, the flash floods in parts of the city and the perennial problems faced by squatters.

"I have brought up a lot of issues in Parliament. On issues such as the road closures and floods, I have worked closely with the associations and groups in the area. I have even been referred to as 'Mr Bukit Bintang'," he said.

Fong, to his disadvantage, often suffers from comparisons with his predecessors, former DAP MPs Lee Lam Thye and Wee Choo Keong.

Lee's popularity with his constituents is almost legendary while Wee, an outspoken leader, was similarly well-received by voters. Both leaders have since left the party.

MCA rising star

The Titiwangsa seat may yet see Umno incumbent Dr Suleiman Mohamed pitted against a PAS candidate. In 1999, Suleiman, who is the deputy health minister, beat PAS contender Mohamad Noor Mohamad with 2.9% of the votes in the Malay-majority constituency.

Of the remaining constituencies, no changes are expected for the other two DAP-held seats of Seputeh (by Teresa Kok, left) and Cheras (by Tan Kok Wai).

Kok, a first-term but active MP, won in 1999 with 5,200 votes (7%) while Tan, a two-term incumbent, retained his seat with 8,992 votes (13%).

Gerakan MP Dr Tan Kee Kwong is also expected to retain the Segambut seat for the BN. The deputy land and co-operative development minister and scion of Gerakan founder Tan Chee Khoon, has successfully defended his inherited seat over the past two general elections.

DAP's M Manoharan, who contested unsuccessfully in 1999, said although Segambut is considered a BN safe seat, there is still opportunity for challenge because of the diverse voter demography.

"There are upper income voters in areas like Medan Damansara and Taman Tun Ismail but there are also lower income areas like Kampong Sungai Penchala," he said.

Manoharan said the results from the 1999 polls showed that PAS had made significant inroads in poorer areas, as evident from the erosion of Gerakan's majority from 12,000 votes in 1995 to 8,000 in 1999.

A DAP observer said, however, that Manoharan may be left out of the election line-up this time as a result of his involvement in a leadership rift in Selangor DAP last year.

Meanwhile, Wangsa Maju MP Zulhasnan Rafique (BN-Umno) may be transferred to contest in the newly-created seat of Setiawangsa, possibly against a PAS candidate.

MCA rising star Yew Teong Look will reportedly take over Wangsa Maju, where he may face Keadilan's Zakir Yusoff, the Wangsa Maju deputy division chief.