Tenang a crucial testing ground for Chua

By Zainal Epi

KUALA LUMPUR: The upcoming Tenang state seat by-election in Labis, Johor, is not only a fight in between Barisan Nasional (BN) as well as Pakatan Rakyat. If anything, it is some-more a test upon how much poke MCA boss Dr Chua Soi Lek still wields with a Chinese community.

The bridgehead will also be a thirty-six-inch ruler to gauge how much support Chua has lost over a years after his sex scandal rocked a country only prior to a 2008 general election.

The former MP for Labis was not picked to competition in 2008, though a celebration put up his son Chua Tee Yong who won with a handsome majority.

Chua's domestic fortune, however, regenerated when he contested as well as won a MCA deputy president's post in Oct 2008. Then in Mar this year, he made his biggest domestic comeback when he kick obligatory Ong Tee Keat for a top post.

Although Chua rode behind to domestic power, many observers said that a perceptions of a representatives differed from that of a community. Chua may have found favour with a representatives though in a eyes of a community, a sex scandal had tarnished his reputation.

Hence, Tenang, his playground where he climbed up a domestic ladder, will be a testing belligerent for his recognition with a Chinese community there. Will they dont think about his sullied past as well as convene to his flag?

Sizeable force

All eyes have been expected to be upon his performance: can he lift in a Chinese voters to give BN a wilful victory?

Tenang, that is part of a Labis parliamentary constituency, has 14,511 registered voters. Malays consecrate 48.9%, Chinese (38.3%), Indians (12%) as well as others (0.9%).

Since Chinese voters comprised a sizeable force in Tenang, a BN is keen to lock up their opinion bank. This is consequential especially if a Malay votes have been split. But observers belie! ve a Mal ays will expel their lots for BN given neither PAS nor PKR has any substantial supporters there.

The by-election is called following a genocide of representative Sulaiman Taha final week, who defeated PAS Mohd Saim Siran with a infancy of 2,492 votes in 2008.

Umno is not expected to face any problem as Labis Umno multiplication has not seen any infighting all this while.

As for a Indian voters, BN campaigners have been assured that they will behind a ruling bloc as a MIC branches there have been joined notwithstanding a little turbulence at a inhabitant level.