When former Bukit Bintang MP Wee Choo Keong's nomination was accepted last Saturday for him to join the fray, pundits were almost certain that his entry could mark the beginning of the end of DAP's long grip on the constituency.

Wee, a well-liked MP when he served Bukit Bintang between 1990 and 1995, was a former DAP man who left the party following irreconcilable differences with party strongman Lim Kit Siang and founded the Malaysian Democratic Party (MDP).

Although Wee ( left ) is not expected to secure enough votes to win, his participation clearly worried DAP incumbent Fong Kui Lun who knew well that a split in traditional opposition votes could hand victory on a platter to his arch-rival, MCA's Tan Chew Mooi.

And Wee wouldn't need to win many votes to bring about this outcome. Fong had hung on to the DAP bulwark with barely 1,000 votes in the last elections.

Unexpectedly for Fong though, the winds are changing in his favour and with no small dose of irony, this has been brought about by his MCA opponent.

Raging debate

The main reason for this is the recent furore over a controversial bunting put up by the Barisan Nasional party which has set up the backs of large segments of the Chinese community.

The offending bunting carried a relatively harmless message - it urged the people to vote based on the candidates and not based on party symbols - but the language used to convey the message was far from polite and included use of a swear term.

Debate raging in the Chinese language press over the past few days made one thing clear: the campaign was thought not only excessive but improper for a candidate who has entered the race banking on her newcomer status and appeal to female voters.

Tan, however, was quick to downplay the severity of the social blunder.

"The party leadership has cleared the air on this issue. It is a closed matter now and we want to only look forward and not look back," she said when interviewed yesterday after a rally in Brickfields.

"I don't think (it has affected my popularity). I still stand a chance to win," she insisted.

Despite this, few other observers share her opinion.

No apology

According to several Chinese press reporters who have been following the election trail in the constituency with 75 percent Chinese voters, the issue has generated much negative publicity for Tan.

"Yes, people are offended. Especially the women," said one reporter.

From experience, MCA has good reason to be worried about this development. In 1999, the party learnt at great cost the damage that could be wrought by an ill-considered remark.

The party's defeat in the Kuala Lumpur constituency of Seputeh has been widely attributed to public disaffection over a sexist slur uttered by its candidate, Dr Sua Chong Keh, against DAP's Teresa Kok.

Public sympathy mixed with outrage helped then newcomer Kok secure a 5,200-vote against Sua.

Kok, when contacted yesterday, seemed surprised by MCA's failure to learn from its last blunder.

"We too are asking how the MCA can make the same mistake again. The impact will be strongest in that particular constituency (Bukit Bintang) but it will affect other areas as well.

"The MCA has not even apologised. They have only tried to explain that the term is not rude since it has different meanings," added the Seputeh MP.

BN association

With two days left for campaigning, MCA's gaffe has certainly changed the odds for all four runners in the race which has been marked by a lack of issues.

Although a relative unknown, Tan was initially expected to stand a fair chance against her more experienced opponents.

Her inexperience was a handicap but her newcomer appeal was also a plus point especially when dark rumours abound over the personal problems of her predecessor, Dr Lee Chong Meng.

She also stood to benefit as Fong ( right ) and Wee, the former DAP compatriots, slugged it out between themselves.

Perhaps the only thing still going for Tan is the fact that she represents the ruling coalition and this alone should secure the support of traditional BN voters, including the non-Chinese votes in the area.

To underscore this, observers note that BN posters which line the streets of Bukit Bintang are mostly those depicting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the front's logo.

As for Fong, the MCA poster fiasco could not have come at a better time to boost his campaign.

The staid businessman may have raised several issues for his constituency in Parliament but his lack of charisma cannot but evoke unflattering comparisons with his popular predecessors, former Bukit Bintang MPs Lee Lam Thye and Wee.

However, Wee is running against time.

"People still remember me. I can feel it when I meet them. It's the way they shake my hand and say 'Ah, you are back'.

"But there is too little time. This campaigning period is the shortest in our history," he explained.

Wee is trying to make a comeback nine years after his 1995 victory was overturned by the Election Court.

The court, instead of calling for a by-election, had controversially handed the seat to second-highest vote-getter - MCA's Lee - making it the only time that the Chinese-based party managed to hold the seat, before losing it once again to DAP in 1999.

Wee, a lawyer, had been barred from contesting in 1999 because of a contempt of court conviction in 1995 over the MBF scandal.

Maverick challenger

Even if Wee were to gain a large chunk of votes from disaffected voters, Fong should still have bigger breathing space from MCA's relentless pursuit.

Finally, there is also independent candidate Billi Lim, an author and motivational speaker, who has sized up the situation and is expecting a large swing of votes to come in his direction.

"I have been receiving feedback everyday. BN may lose (because of the poster)... The race now is between me and DAP," he told reporters yesterday.

"I don't have to do anything. I am letting my opponents make the mistakes. If voters don't know who to choose, they are better off picking me," he said.

Either way, Bukit Bintang seems as out of reach to MCA as it ever has been.