KUALA LUMPUR: The Batu parliament seat is set to be a crowded affair as former PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang (pic) will stand in the 15th General Election as an Independent candidate.
Better known as Tian Chua, the former two-term Batu MP was spotted at an Election Commission (EC) briefing near Sentul yesterday afternoon, the eve of nomination day.
“All candidates were invited to go to SMK Sentul Utama,” said the source briefly.
The source, who’s closely linked with Chua, said the former Batu MP decided to stand in GE15 after obtaining ground feedback.
Meanwhile, Chua, when contacted, refused to comment about his decision to stand in Batu.
“Just wait and see tomorrow morning (today),” he said.
If Chua decides to stand in Batu, he will be up against PKR’s P. Prabakaran, MIC vice-president Datuk A. Kohilan Pillay and potentially Warisan, as well as other Independent candidates such as lawyer-activist Siti Kasim.
Speculation became rife of Chua contesting in Batu after he appeared in a live talk show, where he was listed as a candidate for the parliamentary seat.
Chua was the Batu MP from 2008 to 2018, but he did not contest in GE14 after being disqualified on nomination day due to a RM2,000 fine imposed on him by the Shah Alam High Court.
PKR then backed Prabakaran, who was then an Independent candidate.
After GE14, Prabakaran joined PKR as an official member.
However, the High Court later ruled on Nov 6, 2019 – after GE14 – that Chua in fact did not lose his eligibility and could contest in any election.