Ng Chee Pang - the 22-year-old independent candidate who took on the Barisan Nasional in January's Batu Talam by-election in Pahang - is now a PAS Chinese supporters' club leader.

Having joined the PAS outfit in May, Chee Pang is now the club's Negeri Sembilan deputy chief.

The supporters' club was formed to garner support among the Chinese for the party. Members of the PAS supporters club are not party member officially.

Met at the sidelines of PAS' organ harakah 's 20th anniversary dinner at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur last night, Chee Pang revealed the reasons why he has joined the PAS wing.

"I appreciate PAS' help during my election campaign, they held ceramahs and campaigned for me despite boycotting the by-election," he told malaysiakini , adding that it was him who first approached the club state chief Cheok Jiun Hong.

According to him, he has chosen Negeri Sembilan as his base - where he works for a family business linked to logging - over his home state of Pahang as the club has no branch there.

Donned in the club's red-coloured T-shirt bearing the slogan 'PAS for all', and giving out his new PAS namecard to all, Chee Pang said his father, former DAP Pahang leader Kwi Ling, supported his decision.

Father's tips

When asked if he still has strong passion for politics, Chee Pang replied: "Yes! It is fun, after all, politics is just a game."

To another question on whether he has any views over PAS' stand on the Islamic state issue, he answered: " Haiya ... whether you support or not we are already an Islamic state isn't it?"

Asked on how did he come to know about the PAS Chinese supporters club, he said: "My father give me tips."

On why he did not follow his father's footstep in joining the DAP, Chee Pang answered: "If they (DAP) has approached me, I would have joined them."

On a serious note, Chee Pang said he planned to contest in the next general election although he is not eyeing any particular seat at the moment.

In the Batu Talam polls, fresh-faced Chee Pang was crushed by BN candidate Abdul Aziz Kiram by a majority of more than 5,000 votes and lost his deposit.

After the Batu Talam by-election, he was last seen in April at another by-election in Machap, Malacca, where he campaigned for the DAP candidate in the straight fight against BN.

The harakah dinner was attended by a host of PAS leaders, including the party's spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and president Abdul Hadi Awang.