BENTONG, 15 Apr — The MCA would be reduced to the dwindling status of ‘a zero party’ if its contender, the DAP’s Wong Tack manages to gain victory in the parliamentary constituency of Bentong, a Pahang seat long held as an MCA bastion.
Pahang DAP Chairman, Leong Ngah Ngah said Bentong is MCA’s strongest foothold in the country, with the BN component party holding a record of zero loss in previous elections. According to Leong, it would be a historic event should Wong Tack, who is also head of popular pro-environment NGO Himpunan Hijau, wins the battle.
Leong, the incumbent five-term state assemblyman for Triang, is set to make a move out of the constituency this 13th General Election. He is now bound to stand for the DAP in the state seat of Ketari, within the parliamentary constituency of Bentong.
Leong, in an interview with The Rocket, said the political situation in Bentong is also getting ‘hotter’ as the polling day nears. According to him, the response given towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR) by Bentong residents has been good.
“Ever since the DAP, PAS and PKR collaborated to form Pakatan Rakyat, our party’s strength has increased. The people’s confidence towards PR has also increased,” he said.
Leong said, DAP supporters voting for the party will also vote for PAS and PKR, and likewise, PAS and PKR supporters will also cast their ballots for the DAP. This is so since opposition parties are no longer contesting separately, he said, and those voting for PR at the federal level will also vote for PR at the state level.
Touching on the current political situation in the federal seat of Raub, Leong said the chances of a PR victory in the area is high since many members of the electorate, driven by their anger towards BN, are now more than eager to vote for PR.
“We hope in the coming elections, PR will win up to six to seven federal seats in Pahang,” Leong said, citing the seats of Kuantan, Indera Mahkota, Raub, Temerloh, Bera, Jerantut and Bentong as potentials.
Asked on PR’s strategies on wooing the urban Malay votes, Leong said, PR has long been in the effort of heeding the community.
“Since 14 years ago, the DAP and PAS in Pahang, while being under [the then opposition coalition] Barisan Alternatif have been in the effort to make inroads and campaign in the Malay areas. The relationship between the DAP and PAS has been cooperative and close. In fact many of the Malays in Pahang acknowledge that the two parties are like brothers,” he said.
On the battle of Bentong, Leong estimated that Bentong has more than 20 percent of voters now residing in other places, of which he hoped that they would come back home this 5 May to vote.
“We have a bright chance to change the government. I ask for all Bentong folks to return and vote. We need your votes. Come home and change Bentong and Malaysia,” Leong said.
The DAP has fielded Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz for the nearby Raub parliamentary seat, proving the party’s continuous multiracial stance for a better Malaysia. The opposition coalition of the DAP, PAS and PKR won two federal seats and four state seats in Pahang during the 2008 elections. — The Rocket
