MCA president Liow Tiong Lai has downplayed DAP's move to field its star candidate Liew Chin Tong in Ayer Hitam claiming that the Kluang MP was actually fleeing from his incumbent constituency.

Liow said as such, he believes the move will pose an opportunity for MCA to retake Kluang.

"Liew Chin Tong is running away from issues in Kluang. There are many unresolved issues in Kluang and he dares not face the people in Kluang," he said.

Liow said one such issue was the double-track railway line passing through Kluang town.

"Basically he (Liew) had done nothing. There was a lot of objections from Kluang people as they wanted to see the track raised higher up.

"But the suggestion did not come from him even though he is the Kluang MP. He can see me every now and then in Parliament but he hardly raised the issue with me," Liow told a press conference in Johor Baru today.

Liow, who is transport minister, said it was MCA leaders who had raised the local community's grouses with him.

The DAP today unveiled Liew (below) as its candidate for Ayer Hitam where the incumbent is MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong.

Liew said he had sought the blessing of voters in Kluang to make the move, which is seen as a tougher seat to win.

He had won the Chinese-majority Kluang seat with 40,574 votes in the last general election, a 7,359-vote majority victory over MCA's Hou Kok Chung.

Wee captured Ayer Hitam with a 7,310-vote majority in the Malay-majority constituency against PAS' Hu Pang Chow in the last general election.

Liow stressed that DAP's strategy of fielding heavyweights in Johor will not hurt MCA's chances in the state.

"It will not affect us but we are observing their line-up. I hear that they will be fielding many outsiders in Johor," he said.