Key seats - where the action is
The following are our picks for seats to watch on polling day beyond the Klang Valley. We have received ground reports on these seats as the candidates wind up their two-week campaign. Here’s the latest state of play.
The following are our picks for seats to watch on polling day beyond the Klang Valley. We have received ground reports on these seats as the candidates wind up their two-week campaign. Here’s the latest state of play.
PENANG
Song Choy Leng (MCA)
Lim Guan Eng (DAP)
The DAP secretary-general is poised to launch his comeback to Parliament in Bagan after a hiatus of two terms. After all, Bagan has earned its name as the ‘democratic town’ and has been a safe seat for the DAP. Lawyer Song, a novice, who is contesting against the DAP heavyweight in her first election should treat this election as a way to gain some electoral experience. Barring last-minute surprises, Bagan should be in Lim’s bag.
Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail* (PKR)
Pirdaus Ismail (Umno)
* Incumbent in bold
The ground sentiments are favourable for incumbent Wan Azizah to hold on to this seat. Factors such as price hikes, the constituency’s more than 50% female voters and sizable number of Chinese voters (25%) are expected to swing in her favour. Her challenger Pirdaus - whom Wan Azizah defeated with a narrow majority of 590 in 2004 - is nevertheless backed by a strong BN election machinery but his rather low-key campaign made it difficult for anyone to judge his popularity. The decisive factor is how the 4,000-odd new voters are going to vote.
Dr Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan)
Prof P Ramasamy (DAP)
Koh, with the advantage being the outgoing Penang chief minister, is expected to win his bid for a parliamentary seat so that he could join federal politics. Although Ramasamy appeared to have posed a surprisingly strong challenge at the beginning of the campaign as the result of the anger among the Indian community (24%), he is more likely to win the state seat of Perai (35.8% Indians) - which he is also contesting - instead of this parliamentary constituency.
Jelutong
Dr Thor Teong Gee (Gerakan)
Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun (DAP)
Badrul Zaman Md Zakariah (Independent)
Jelutong remains a close fight right up to the final lap. Thor, a newcomer and doctor, is said to be the favourite in this race with blogger-turned-politician Ooi. However, after two weeks of campaigning Ooi has reversed the odds. This contest is essentially a two-horse race and independent candidate Badrul is not expected to be a spoiler. Tomorrow, Ooi is likely to be the first Malaysian blogger to be elected into Parliament.
Karpal Singh (DAP)
Koay Kar Huah (MCA)
Voters in Bukit Gelugor this time are struggling between choosing two equally senior - in terms of age and political experience - candidates. Koay is known for his service record since he has served as the state assemblyperson under one of the three state seats in the constituency and there were some ground rumblings over Karpal’s rare appearance in Bukit Gelugor. But Karpal’s ‘champion of your rights’ image favours him to retain the seat, which has a high number of middle-class and highly-educated voters.
KEDAH
Dr Mohd Hayati Othman (PAS)
Md Rozai Shafian (Umno)
This is the sole parliamentary seat under PAS in the state. Incumbent Mohd Hayati won the seat in 2004 with a razor-thin majority of 50. Umno is fielding the same candidate, Md Rozai Shafian. PAS is expected to retain the seat with a higher majority this time.
Mukhriz Mahathir (Umno)
Idris Ahmad (PAS)
Mukhriz, son of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, will make his maiden foray into parliamentary politics in this not-so-safe seat. Idris lost to Umno’s first-timer Abdul Rahman Ariffin in 2004 by a majority of 2,000 votes. He is contesting again and hopes to do better this time against a new opponent. Mukhriz is expected to prevail in this fight. The only problem is some disgruntled members in his own party who are supporters of ousted incumbent Abdul Rahman.
Ghazali Ibrahim (Umno)
Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS)
Incumbent Ghazali is defending this seat which he last won in 2004 with a rather slim majority of 2,000 votes. This time he is facing Mohd Nasir. PAS is confident of getting more votes in Kuala Nerang - the state seat under Padang Terap - to deliver the votes it badly needs for victory. It is too close to call.
PERLIS
Ismail Kassim (Umno)
Dr Haron Din (PAS)
PAS big gun Haron is contesting this seat which he lost in 2004 by a narrow margin of 3,200 votes. The opposition party is seeking to win four state seats under Arau. The PAS candidate will reap some benefit from the infighting among top Umno leaders in the state. It is nevertheless going to be tough fight but Haron could wrest the seat from Umno.
PERAK
Abdul Raman Sulaiman (Umno)
Dr Mujahid Yusof (PAS)
Umno won this seat with a 10% majority in 2004 and this time round has been identified as 'grey area' by the Perak menteri besar. Newcomer Abdul Raman, previously a senator, is facing Mujahid, a rising political star and son of one of the most renowned PAS leader Yusof Rawa. Expect this to be a close fight.
M Kayveas (PPP)
Nga Kor Ming (DAP)
Kavyeas is fighting for survival since day one of the campaign. His victory in 2004 was partly due to bickering within the opposition turning it into a three-cornered fight. Since then, Kavyeas has rubbed a few of his coalition partners the wrong way over his demands for seats for his PPP. They are reportedly not helping in his campaign and he is literally being left out to dry. It’s a straight fight this time and a 5% swing would give DAP an easy win.
S Samy Vellu (MIC)
Dr M Jeyakumar (PKR)
This is Jeyakumar's third try to unseat Samy Vellu who has held the seat for nine terms. Chinese voters (41.4%) are said to be backing Jeyakumar this time round and a sizeable shift in Indian votes (22.5%) but it may not be enough to reverse Samy’s 10,235 majority. The embattled MIC chief is expected to win albeit with a reduced majority.
M Kulasegaran (DAP)
Yik Phooi Hong (MCA)
Kulasegaran fought tooth and nail to beat a MCA parliamentary secretary in 2004 and now faces Yik who is the previous deputy Perak state assembly speaker. Kulasegaran is renowned for his performance in Parliament but locals know Yik due to his diligence on the ground. Both candidates are also popular among the crucial Indian voters making the outcome of this seat too close to call.
Chang Ko Youn (Gerakan)
Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP)
This battle is shaping up to be a battle of Gerakan Perak chief versus the DAP Perak chief. Both men are veteran politicians but are new faces in the area. Previous election results show that Gerakan's popularity there has been waning and a swing among the constituency's 13% Indian voters may tip the balance in DAP's favour. Ngeh will need to reverse a 5,500-odd majority, difficult but doable.
Ong Ka Chuan (MCA)
Mohamad Azman Marjohan (PKR)
Despite losing in the Chinese-majority Batu Gajah parliamentary seat in 2004, Ong, who is the secretary-general of Chinese-based MCA, is opting for a Malay-majority safe seat this time round. He faces little known candidate Mohd Azman but the race factor (51% Malay) could affect his chances in this seat. Still with a majority of 14,536 and a formidable BN machinery, he should win comfortably.
Lim Kit Siang (DAP)
Liew Mun Hon (MCA)
This has always been identified as a 'black' seat by MCA. This time, MCA fielded a new face, Liew Mun Hon, 32, to challenge the incumbent parliamentary opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang, 67. With the strong wind of change, Lim - who said this could be his last term - is expected to win with an even larger majority.
Fong Po Kuan (DAP)
Cheah Yoke Can (MCA)
The charismatic 'cili padi' has become a political celebrity in the Chinese-majority Kinta Valley, attracting thousands of supporters to her ceramah every night. Although she was involved in an internal party tussle in which she pulled out of the contest, Fong’s U-turn has not affected her image among the voters in this township. Expect Fong to serve her third term starting tomorrow.
Ling Hee Leong (MCA)
Dr Lee Boon Chye (PKR)
Although defeated by a whopping 14,260 majority in 2004 by MCA veteran Ting Chew Peh, PKR’s Lee has remained to serve the constituency over the past four years. However, he is fighting an uphill task against Ling, who is son of the former MCA president. Despite being a new face to the voters, Ling has the full support from Ting who was the elected MP there for five consecutive terms. Expect Ling to be the new MP for Gopeng.
MALACCA
Wong Nai Chee (MCA)
Sim Tong Him (DAP)
This seat was a DAP stronghold. It was held by party leader Lim Kit Siang and later his son, Guan Eng. However, in a shock result in 2004, former DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock was knocked out by MCA rookie Wong Nai Chee by 219 votes. This was partly blamed on DAP’s infighting in the state. However, this appeared to have been resolved and Sim - a DAP veteran in the state - is expected to reclaim Kota Melaka.
NEGRI SEMBILAN
Dr Yeow Chai Thiam (MCA)
Anthony Loke (DAP)
Rasah is in reality Seremban town but its boundaries have been redrawn to include sizable number of Malay voters (27.6%). DAP is mounting a strong campaign to reclaim this seat from MCA and is fielding a rather strong candidate, the young and dashing Anthony Loke, who is also the state representative for Lobak . He will have to reverse MCA’s majority of 4.500 votes and is banking on the support of the constituency’s 51.8% Chinese and 20.9% Indian voters. He is facing a tough fight from Yeow, a former state exco. This seat is too close to call.
Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar (Umno)
Badrul Hisham Shaharin (PKR)
Khairy, son-in-law of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is making his parliamentary debut in this seat. It is an Umno stronghold and Khairy is expected to win. While the result is a foregone conclusion, the seat is of interest to those who want to track the political career of the man who one day could be PM.
