Sons of former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik and disgraced party vice-president Chua Soi Lek are among the 12 fresh faces who will be contesting under the party’s banner in the March 8 general election.

Apart from them, the party would be promoting 10 state representatives to contest in parliamentary seats and reintroduce two former parliamentarians, on top of the 16 incumbents who would be seeking to retain their seats.

chan kong choy election quit 210208 stamer Announcing this today, MCA president Ong Ka Ting said that the party would be contesting in 40 parliamentary seats - the same as in 2004 general election. Then they won 31 parliament seats. The party’s state candidates would be announced by the respective state BNs.

Ong himself would not be contesting in his old Tanjong Piai seat in Johor. Instead he would be going to Kulai , saying that he wanted to bring development to this Chinese majority seat.

His former political secretary Wee Jeck Seng would be contesting in his old hunting ground Tanjung Piai .

Political heirs

One of the political heirs to be groomed by the party to contest in the polls were Ling Hee Leong who replaced party’s former secretary general Ting Chew Peh in Gopeng . In 2004, Ting defeated PKR’s Dr Lee Boon Chye by a whopping 14,260-vote majority.

And the other is Chua Tee Yong, who would be contesting in Labis , replacing his father Soi Lek, who had to quit the seat in January after being embroiled in a sex scandal. In 2004, Soi Lek defeated DAP’s Tee Gey Yan by a 10,729-vote majority.

Another new face is Lee Lee Yew, the Selayang MCA Youth chief, who has a tough act to follow in trying to win over the voters in Selayang following the incumbent’s decision not to contest.

The incumbent to the seat in the party’s deputy president Chan Kong Choy, also the transport minister, who cited health reasons to step down.

Also joining the fray for the first time is academic Hou Kok Chung who would be replacing Hoo Seong Chang in Kluang . Hoo would be contesting in a state seat in Johor.

Hou’s participation in this election has evoked various reactions, no less for the manner he had jumped from the academic field straight into electoral politics.

mca line up for parliament seat 2008 election 210208 One prominent MCA candidate to make a comeback this time around is Dr Lee Chong Meng, who is given the task of winning the Bukit Bintang seat from DAP.

Lee, a senator and the Bukit Bintang MCA division chief, controversially won the seat in 1995 when DAP candidate Wee Choo Keong was disqualified on technical grounds.

He however lost the seat to DAP’s Fong Kui Lun in the 1999 general election by 1,134 votes. In 2004, Fong retained the seat by defeating MCA newcomer Tan Chew Mooi with a smaller margin 304 votes.

Lee Hwa Beng’s promotion

Another candidate who is making the step up from state to parliament in Lee Hwa Beng - from Subang Jaya state seat to Kelana Jaya parliamentary seat. He will be replacing the retiring Loh Seng Kok.

The party’s secretary-general, Ong Ka Chuan, who lost to DAP’s Fong Po Kuan in Batu Gajah in 200, will be trying his luck in Tanjung Malim , a MCA safe seat.

The party will also be contesting in five of the 11 parliament seats in Kuala Lumpur. Apart from fighting for Bukit Bintang, the party would be aiming to retain Wangsa Maju (Yew Teong Look) and Bandar Tun Razak (Tan Chai Ho).

It will also try to capture Seputeh (Chew Chee Lin) and Cheras (Jeffrey Goh Sim Ik) from DAP.

As for the other party leaders, the party’s women chief Ng Yen Yen would be contesting in Raub again, while vice president Ong Tee Keat would be aiming to win again in Pandan .

Similarly Chew Mei Fun will be contesting again in Petaling Jaya Utara and Donald Lim in Petaling Jaya Selatan .