Despite the country’s somewhat tame economic outlook in the short term, the country’s political scene, on the other hand, seems to be soaring to new heights as it prepares for the possibility of more by-elections. First, it was the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election in Perak and Bukit Selambau state seat by-election in Kedah. Both by-elections, which will run simultaneously, have been fixed on April 7.
And now, there is a possibility that Bukit Lanjan, a state seat in Selangor, currently controlled by Parti Keadilan Rakyat, may see a contest. Its state assemblywoman, Elizabeth Wong, has offered to quit her excutive councillor position as well as state assemblywoman’s post following nude photographs her being circulated in cyberspace.
Her offer to resign came on Tuesday after it was reported that nude photographs of Wong, who is also the PKR Wanita publicity chief, had been distributed in public. The pictures, believed to have been taken using a handphone, were said to have been circulating via MMS which prompted Wong to lodge a police report on Sunday. Wong or populary known as Eli Wong won the Bukit Lanjan seat – one of the three state constituencies in the Subang parliamentary seat. If her resignation is accepted, the Election Commission will have to call for another by-election in the constituency, known to be dominated by working and middle-class voters, within 60 days.
In the 2008 general election,, Wong, a human rights activist and environmentalist, had contested for the first time. She polled 12,125 votes against incumbent assemblyperson, former Gerakan’s Deputy Wanita Chief Yong Dai Ying, who obtained 6,970 votes. Wong had won Bukit Lanjan with a majority of over 5,155, the second highest majority won by a PKR state assembly candidate in Selangor last year.
If the by-election is called, it will be a tough seat to contest as the seat is located in an urban area and most of the voters are non-Malays, which according to political observers, will be not an easy task for Barisan Nasional (BN). This is based on the assumption that most voters in the urban and non-Malay majority seats are more critical towards BN.
In Bukit Lanjan, the Chinese consist about 52 percent of the voters, Indians 17 percent and the rest are Malay voters.
“Apart from this, you have to know that about 51 percent of the voters in the constituency are women,” said a BN grassroots leader who is familiar with the constituency.
“This is definitely a very steep “bukit” (hill) to climb for BN,” he added.
However, the PKR and Selangor government have not made a final decision on her resignation offer.
But the political operatives from both sides have begun their preparations in anticipation of any by-election.
Talk among PKR party circles is that they are likely to put in another woman candidate if there is a by-election for the seat.
Apart from that, there is also talk that former Gerakan Federal Territory chief and ex-deputy minister Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong and former MCA Deputy Wanita chief and former Klang MP Datuk Paduka Dr Tan Yee Kew could be potential candidates. Both defected to PKR last year.
On the BN side, particulary Gerakan, which was given the mandate to contest the seat in the previous election, talk is that at least seven names have been listed as potential candidates.
They include Selangor Gerakan chairman and the Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Senator A. Kohilan, Bukit Rahman Putra branch chairman Lee Hui Sing, personal assistant to former state assemblywomen Yong Dai Ying, Sulaiman Kok and Gerakan Selangor Beliawanis chief, Chia Teng Teng.
Other names being mentioned as possible candidates should there be a by-election are former state Gerakan chairman and former exco Datuk Lum Weng Keong, Subang division chairman Francis Chong and Gerakan National Youth vice-chairman, David Ang.
Source : BERNAMA
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