MELAKA: The Kota Melaka parliamentary constituency is a "no go" for Melaka Gerakan if Perikatan Nasional insists on nominating a candidate from the party for the urban seat.
Instead, Gerakan state chief Datuk Seri Gan Peng Lam (pic) said he will continue to lobby for the Hang Tuah Jaya seat in the 15th General Election (GE15).
"We are not keen on Kota Melaka and the Perikatan leadership should consider our candidate for a racially-mixed seat like Hang Tuah Jaya.
"Furthermore, we have a good track record in serving the constituents at Hang Tuah Jaya for the past two decades," he said in an interview here Saturday (Oct 29).
Gan said Gerakan was a multi-racial party and Perikatan should not field candidates based on the racial composition of the electorate.
"Kota Melaka is a constituency with predominantly Chinese voters and we prefer to contest in a mixed seat as my party is multi-ethnic," he said.
Gan suggests Bersatu contest in Kota Melaka instead.
"Why don't we have a Bersatu candidate contesting against DAP's Khoo Poay Tiong?" he asked.
Gan said Hang Tuah Jaya would be an advantage for Gerakan as it has built a rapport with the grassroots since 2000.
He said PKR had also nominated its Youth chief Adam Adli as a candidate for Hang Tuah Jaya.
Gan said Adam Adli was considered a "parachute" candidate and there are chances for votes to swing towards other political coalitions contesting in the parliamentary constituency.
Meanwhile, Adam acknowledged it would be an uphill battle for him as he is contesting for the first time in an election.
He also said there was also some resentment among PKR members in the constituency on the choice of candidate for Hang Tuah Jaya that he needed to tackle.
"I am honoured that my party has made me a candidate and I will do my best," he said when met at a walkabout at the Bukit Baru commercial centre on Saturday (Oct 29).
