DAP kicks off Johor roadshow to unveil candidates one by one
DAP kicked off a roadshow in Johor today, aimed at introducing their candidates one by one.
This comes amid internal tension in DAP over seats, while negotiations between Pakatan Harapan and youth party Muda continued.
The roadshow kicked off in Paloh today, where DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that...
DAP kicked off a roadshow in Johor today, aimed at introducing their candidates one by one.
This comes amid internal tension in DAP over seats, while negotiations between Pakatan Harapan and youth party Muda continued.
The roadshow kicked off in Paloh today, where DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that incumbent assemblyperson Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali would be defending his seat.
This has stirred unease among 59 state party branches and seven Johor DAP youth branches, which yesterday urged the party leadership not to parachute in candidates as it did in 2018.
They said such a strategy was unrealistic and are not done in consultation with the grassroots.
Instead, the branches urged party leaders to prioritise incumbent assemblyperson and local leaders who already have a good reputation for serving constituents.
"At this critical juncture, any last-minute change will only increase uncertainties and is not conducive to the state election," the branches said in a statement yesterday.
Lim will be heading to Mengkibol and Penggaram tomorrow where he will unveil more DAP candidates.
Meanwhile, two incumbents, Tan Hong Pin (Skudai) and Ng Yak Howe (Bentayan) are also lobbying Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong to defend their seats.
Tan and Ng are not aligned to Liew, and speculation is rife that they may be axed.
Asked about the appeals by the 59 branches, Tan, and Ng, Lim said that DAP will take everyone's views into consideration before the central leadership decides.
When contacted, Tan refused to comment on whether internal factionalism was a factor in whether an incumbent was retained.
He said he was prepared to face the worst.
However, he argued that the Johor snap polls had a major bearing on federal politics, and as such, candidates should be retained.
"We (Harapan) are now on the defensive side, and we should try to maintain our stability as much as possible," he told Malaysiakini.
He added that sending incumbents to a different seat may also hurt as voters in the new constituency would not be familiar with them.
Additional reporting by Ng Xiang Yi
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