KUALA LUMPUR – DAP has announced its 15th general election (GE15) candidates for parliamentary seats in Selangor.
The party’s secretary-general Anthony Loke revealed the line-up comprising four out of 22 federal seats during a fundraising event at the Kelana Jaya Stadium car park here this evening.
The candidates are:
Klang – Ganabatirau Veraman
Damansara – Gobind Singh Deo
Puchong – Yeo Bee Yin
Bangi – Syahredzan Johan
Incumbent Kota Kemuning assemblyman Ganabatirau’s candidacy in Klang ends weeks of questioning over whether DAP would drop the seat’s incumbent MP Charles Santiago, who has held it for three terms.
Since winning the seat in 2008 and breaking MCA’s grip on the Chinese-majority area, Santiago had continued to retain the constituency with increased majorities in subsequent elections.
In 2018, Santiago won the seat with a 78,773-vote majority over MCA candidate Datuk Ching Eu Boon.
In recent weeks, various local community groups have expressed support for Santiago, especially those that represent the Malay and Chinese communities.
It was also announced that incumbent Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo will be setting his sights on the Damansara seat while incumbent Bakri MP Yeo Bee Yin will be fielded in Puchong.
“We want Gobind to return not just as an MP but also as a cabinet (member),” Loke said, adding that grassroots’ sentiments had favoured placing Yeo in Selangor instead of her defending her current seat in Johor.
Gobind, who was the communications and multimedia minister under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, had previously won Puchong with a 47,635-vote majority over candidates from Gerakan and PAS.
Tony Pua, the incumbent Damansara MP, had firmly secured the seat during the last general election with a 106,903-vote majority, beating out MCA’s Ho Kwok Xheng.
Pua had announced during the event that he will not be contesting in GE15, choosing instead to contribute his strengths to DAP in a “more strategic” manner.
Meanwhile, Syahredzan Johan, who is also DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang’s political secretary, will be making his election debut in the Bangi parliamentary seat.
This follows the seat’s incumbent MP Ong Kian Ming’s decision to not contest in GE15, citing a need to take a step back from politics.
“While DAP is thankful for the support from the Chinese and Indian community, we must also work to establish DAP as a multiracial party for all Malaysians,” Loke said when announcing Syahredzan’s candidacy.
Selangor, along with Negri Sembilan and Penang, are states led by the PH coalition. – The Vibes, October 26, 2022
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