Johor polls: MCA hopes to emerge from ashes of GE14’s scorching defeat

Johor polls: MCA hopes to emerge from ashes of GE14’s scorching defeat


Following MCA scorching defeat in Johor in the 14th general election, its secretary-general Chong Sin Woon is hopeful that the party will regain ground in the upcoming state election.

He believed voters upset with 2018’s regime change would give the BN component party a chance.

However, Chong (above) stopped short of revealing how many seats it was contesting or targeting to win this time around.

“We think MCA has a chance to breakthrough in this (state election). Johor is a traditional stronghold for BN. After we lost (in GE14) four years ago, we worked hard in our constituencies.

“We have also received voter feedback - many voters are disappointed after the last election and want to elect a stable government.

“People are sick and tired of political instability. Mere slogans and sweet promises (will not work) as they have experienced these things and felt cheated by them.

“Many people are disappointed because the regime change did not turn out to be what they envisioned. This time, we will work hard to get back to our roots. We are confident that we will have a breakthrough,” he said in a press conference today.

MCA had lost all 15 Johor state seats it contested in GE14.

Of the eight parliamentary seats it contested, only party president Wee Ka Siong managed to defend his Ayer Hitam seat.

It later picked up a second parliamentary seat during the 2019 Tanjung Piai by-election.

Won’t reveal election plan

Today, Chong declined to disclose MCA’s plan for the Johor snap election.

He repeatedly said seat allocation was up to the BN supreme council.

“MCA has no target but we will work hard. We hope voters will give MCA a chance to return to power in this state election.

“So that we can revive all those beneficial projects that were cancelled when the government changed, like the High-Speed Rail to Singapore and the Rapid Transit System,” he said.

“Johor is adjacent to Singapore and was developing well but the change of government disrupted this momentum.

“Therefore, we hope to get the support of all races to allow BN to return to power. With a stable government, we can quickly revive the economy and take care of the people’s livelihood,” Chong added.

The 56-seat Johor legislative assembly was dissolved on Jan 22, which means a state election must be held within 60 days from that date.

The Election Commission is set to convene a meeting on Feb 9 to decide the election date.