She came, she saw and she conquered. That sums up former journalist Chew Mei Fun's maiden foray into mainstream politics under the MCA.

She won Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat by a 2,481-vote majority out of 48,725 votes cast to narrowly defeat DAP's Ronnie Liu in 1999.

Thirty-six-year-old Chew was among the younger MPs to make it into the highest legislative body of the land on their first attempt.

PJ Utara, a mainly middle-class parliamentary constituency - once considered a DAP stronghold - will this time witness a clash between the young and the old.

Chew - who is also MCA central committee member - anticipates a tough fight against the prospective opposition candidate, DAP stalwart Karpal Singh, 64.

An underdog

"This is going to be a very tough fight. I need to work even harder as I consider myself an underdog because compared to him, I am nothing (in politics)," she told malaysiakini .

"But I have some confidence (of winning) as I have tried my best over the last four years to help those in the constituency, although I cannot possibly please everyone."

Chew believed she has three roles to play as MP.

"I debated regularly in Parliament. I have regularly raised safety/security and women's issues. I have also focused on education and culture," she explained.

"As a people's politician, I have reached out to the people, learned about how they feel and listened to their problems, so that my arguments in the Dewan Rakyat reflect their wishes."

She also listed down some of the concerns she had raised in Parliament, including the suggestion to hire a consultancy firm to review the police department.

"I suggested a review to gauge the shortage in manpower and the state of equipment as well as the morale of police personnel. The prime minister later announced the setting up of a royal commission."

While Chew felt it was not her suggestion that led to the formation of the commission, she said she was nevertheless on the right track.

Her persistent legwork also secured the financial support of Damansara-Puchong highway concessionaire Litrak, which spent over RM3.5 million to upgrade the security aspects along one of the busier stretches of the highway in 2001.

Neighbourhood work

But Chew is most proud of being successful in organising neighbourhood watches (RTs) and residents associations (RAs) to resolve their local problems.

"I found this to be very effective in bringing people together and to resolve their own neighbourhood problems," she added.

"It proved that people worked harder when given the right support. I'm happy to have fulfilled 85 percent of my manifesto. I hope the people will give me another chance to continue my work."

At this moment, one thing greatly favours Chew - she is a local girl who grew up in her constituency and still lives there.

"I will go house-to-house, visit the markets and attend functions organised by RAs and RTs," she said when asked about her campaign plans.

Understandably, Karpal too is feeling the calm before the storm. In 1999, he lost Jelutong by only 775 votes to Gerakan's Lee Kah Choon.

This time, he is seeking to regain his place in Parliament.

But are tongues not left a-wagging in the wake of his significant departure from Penang, with accusations that the party captains (including his comrade and party chief Lim Kit Siang) of jumping ship and letting it sink?

"I know that people would say these things but they don't know what is really happening or at stake here," he said when contacted.

Karpal's strategy

So, how exactly is the DAP deputy chairperson planning to oust Chew?

"We're banking on a different strategy. PJ Utara is a middle-class constituency and I take it that people will realise that a stronger opposition voice is needed in Parliament," said Karpal.

For the 'Tiger of Jelutong', as Karpal is affectionately known - though wounded but still thirsty for blood after numerous political battles spanning 30 years - it is a case of do-or-die.

"If I lose a second time, there will not be a third. This is the first time ever I'm contesting a seat outside my home state of Penang (since 1974)."

He conceded that there were major obstacles to overcome, especially in an area where the incumbent has been diligently carrying out her duties as MP.

"But I'm banking on the larger picture - that the people want a stronger and louder opposition voice in Parliament.

"The middle-class, educated electorate may just be tempted towards striving for an opposition voice on issues that are not getting the Barisan Nasional's attention."

But being Karpal, the ever-frank and pragmatic politician, he foresees the problem of being 'a stranger' to PJ Utara voters.

"The fact that I'm not local will be a problem but I'll be going house to house to explain why I am contesting PJ Utara.

"Furthermore, I'm in Kuala Lumpur most of the time, and given that the courts are also based here and in Putrajaya," said Karpal, who is a well-known lawyer.

More subdue campaign

Karpal cut his political teeth in Alor Star in 1974, where he won both the parliamentary and state seats. That was also where he first began practicing law.

Four years later, he won Penang's Jelutong parliamentary and Bukit Gelugor state seats by a huge margin, exceeding 10,000 votes.

The five-term MP and three-term state assemblyperson chalked up an impressive reputation as a skilled orator in Parliament until his humiliating defeat in the last polls.

Will the battle for PJ Utara be hot?

Karpal said the campaign would be rather subdued compared to 1999, when the less-than-graceful ouster of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim was at its peak.

"I will focus more on human rights and education, and more on meeting the constituents. I want to explain why I'm coming to PJ Utara, and at the same time, address some local issues.

He also believed that the 'new prime minister' factor would somewhat change the political game this time around.

"(Previously), we used to criticise (former PM Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad), but we can't do the same with Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi). I think people won't take kindly to that."