Wong Tack believes DAP will allow him to defend Bentong

DAP’s incumbent Bentong MP Wong Tack appears unfazed by the prospect of facing off with former MCA president Liow Tiong Lai for the third time in the upcoming general election.

This comes after Pahang MCA chief Hoh Khai Mun confirmed that Liow will be representing the party to stand again for the parliamentary seat, as reported by Sin Chew Daily.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, Wong (above, left) said his office had stated in May that they were prepared for any challenges.

As the DAP central executive committee meets tonight to discuss the 15th general election, Wong believed that the party leadership would give him and his team a chance to defend Bentong.

“Bentong is my hometown, my team and I have established roots here. We have strong connections with the villagers and won the approval of the voters.

“Our performance will not disappoint,” he added.

Wong sarcastically “welcomed” Liow’s return, accusing him of failing to show up to help the people during the Covid-19 pandemic and when Bentong was hit by massive floods late last year.

He also criticised MCA for associating with “corrupt” parties.

“They are not waking up, but the people are well aware and have become disillusioned with MCA. That’s why on May 9, 2018, many corrupted leaders were brought down,” Wong said.

Tough battle for DAP

Separately, Pahang DAP secretary Lee Chin Chen told Malaysiakini that the party has not yet finalised the candidacy for Bentong.

The Bilut assemblyperson admitted that Bentong would be a “tough seat” for DAP and that further discussion by the party leadership on its candidate is needed.

Bentong is a mixed parliamentary seat with 47 percent Malay voters and 42 percent Chinese voters. It has around 67,359 voters according to data in 2018.

The semi-urban seat was an MCA stronghold until Wong defeated Liow, a former transport minister, with 2,032 majority votes in GE14.

Wong's first attempt to take on Liow was in 2013. Liow had retained his seat with a slim majority of 379 votes.

Liow was a four-term Bentong MP from 1999 to 2018. He has been appointed Bentong MCA coordinator and is reported to have shown up frequently in the area to help out with local issues.

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