Who would Batu folks pick if Tian Chua runs as an independent against Prabakaran?

Who would Batu folks pick if Tian Chua runs as an independent against Prabakaran?





LAWYER and human rights activist Charles Hector has berated incumbent Batu MP P. Prabakaran – Malaysia’s youngest MP (he was only 22 when he won the Batu Parliamentary seat in the previous national poll) – for “after enjoying the monies and power that came with being a MP” now seems to have turned his back on his once ‘mentor’ Tian Chua.

In his view, Prabakaran should have been selected by PKR to contest in another constituency – possibly that held by a Pakatan Harapan (PH) party hopper – rather than to deny Tian Chua who was the constituency’s two-term MP from wresting control of the seat which he was prevented from contesting in the 14th General Election (GE14) due to “the wrongdoings of an EC (Election Commission) officer”.

“Tian Chua (or Chua Tian Chang) was a victim of injustice when on nomination day of GE14, the EC officer disqualified him. Later, the High Court decided that what the EC officer did was wrong,” Hector penned in his latest blog.

“Tian Chua ought to have been allowed to contest, and would have likely won and should have been serving as a MP for Batu until recent dissolution of Parliament. A negligence or mistake made Tian Chua a victim of miscarriage of justice.”

Looking at media reports, Hector described Prabakaran’s performance as MP as “lacklustre” though he excelled in “political work” by virtue of having ousted Tian Chua in the party’s election in May for the Batu PKR division chief’s post.

“Remember an MP should not focus his/her attention doing welfare work for his constituency as we have the relevant ministries/government departments to do so,” argued Hector. “An MP must be active in pushing for matters concerning national policy and laws that affect all Malaysians – not just his/her constituency.”

Although Tian Chua does not longer hold a party position currently, Hector said the former PKR vice-president is no silent loyal follower but continues to speak up against matters that are against his fundamental values/principles on democracy, justice and human rights.

Charles Hector


“Alas, some political party leaders do not like this, preferring instead total loyalty with no dissent. They do not respect and practice freedom of opinion or expression. Either way, Tian Chua’s future in PKR would have been ended sooner or later,” lamented Hector.

“Tian Chua, was rightly or wrongly associated with (former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri) Azmin (Ali) and the gang of PKR MPs that left PKR but the difference was that Tian Chua did not elect to leave PKR.”

“Tian Chua of the past, I believe will not support the removal of party members from the party simply because they had a different view from (PKR president Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) or the party leadership,” added Hector.

So, if one is faced with a choice between Prabakaran (running under the PKR/PH ticket) and Tian Chua (running as an independent or some other party), Hector said he would most likely vote for Tian Chua having recalled the latter’s past struggle for the squatters (urban settlers) of Batu.

“Prabakaran, too, raised issues but too late and seems to be ethnically inclined rather than being for all people,” asserted the co-founder of nin-governmental organisation (NGO) Malaysians Against Death Penalty & Torture (MADPET).

“I really hope that young Prabakaran withdraw from contesting for Batu, take a break and come back again. Or contest in some other seat.”

By the way, apart from Prabakaran and Tian Chua, Batu is already unraveling as a hot seat with the presence of Gerak Independent’s co-founder Siti Kasim, social media influencer Nur Fathiah Syazwana Shaharuddin a.k.a. Cleopatra, and not forgetting the MIC as Batu boasts one of the constituencies with the largest number of Indian voters in the country. – Oct 30, 2022