GE15: sorry for contesting in Batu, Tian Chua tells Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR – Former PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang has expressed his heartfelt apology to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for going against the party by contesting as an independent candidate in Batu. 

He said his decision was not personal but rather motivated by a calling to participate in the election to ensure the spirit of reformation lives on after PKR overlooked him in favour of the constituency’s incumbent MP P. Prabakaran. 

In an interview with The Vibes, Chua, who is more affectionately known as Tian Chua, said that while he understood Anwar’s aversion towards his move to contest in Batu, the decision to do so was not ill-intended. 

“I fully understand, and I have to seek his forgiveness for doing that. I have no intention to provoke him, and I think his expression of disappointment is real,” he said today. 

“Yet we have been friends for such a long time. We have been comrades and brothers in struggle. 

“I think no matter what happens, what work we choose and what action we take, it doesn’t affect our friendship and my support for his values and struggle. 

“This is something we share in common. We might not share certain strategies, tactics or sometimes policies, where there could be certain contradictions, but our ability to see through these and to share a common vision will always be there.”

Chua said Anwar’s expression of disappointment and his remark that the party will have to take disciplinary action against him is also understandable, seeing that he, as the leader, has to toe the party line. 

“As president, he had to abide by the regulation laid down by the party. He cannot say he condones (my action), which is against the party.”

Rumours of Chua’s contesting in Batu had surfaced since PKR announced that Prabakaran will be the party’s pick to defend the urban constituency. 

He confirmed his candidacy when he showed up during nomination day yesterday, prompting Anwar to issue a statement expressing his dismay and saying his long-time ally will automatically be sacked because of this latest development. 

Chua was a two-term Batu MP, winning the seat in 2008 and 2013, before he was disqualified from contesting the 2018 iteration on the grounds of technicality. 

He and PKR later agreed to back Prabakaran, who was initially contesting on an independent ticket. The strategy inevitably worked, as Prabakaran ran away with the contest and, in doing so, increased the majority from 13,284 to a staggering 24,438. 

According to Chua, based on sentiments on the ground, many Batu voters purportedly want to see the constituency remain in the hands of leaders who have championed the reformation movement. 

“If you care to check with them, many are happy that at least I provide that option for them to choose in order to retain the seat for the progressive voices. 

“I’m not representing myself. I represent the aspirations of the ‘reformasi’ generation. 

“We have contributed to toppling Umno and rejecting corruption. We have achieved that, but I think this voice must stay in order to continue participating in this discourse.” – The Vibes, November 6, 2022