KUALA LUMPUR:The decision to field his former special officer, Chong Yew Chuan, as a candidate for Cheras was made to give voters the option of a younger person to represent them, said Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said if Barisan Nasional wanted to effect a transformation in tandem with the heartbeat of a younger generation, they should rightly select candidates who can understand their needs.
“The younger generation is thirsty for development. As such, they will need someone who can make their voices heard,” said Dr Wee.
He added that although he was aware that Cheras was a DAP stronghold, it had not deterred him from fielding a candidate here.
“I chose Chong for his indefatigable spirit. For him, it was not a matter of which area. He said to me, ‘I will go wherever you tell me to’,” Dr Wee said.
Dr Wee was at the Cheras Recreation Centre to support the 39-year-old trained civil engineer, who is popularly known as Mike Chong, on his first campaign trail.
Dr Wee pointed out he had also fielded younger candidates in Melaka and Johor.
“There is a saying, ‘One cannot fall in love with someone you don’t know. Love at first sight can only happen when both parties are better acquainted. But once this happens, affection will surely grow’.
“It will not be possible to turn these young candidates into heroes in the people’s eye within a short span of time during this election campaign; what more for them to win the election at the places where they are contesting?” said Dr Wee frankly.
However, the campaign period is a good time for them to be introduced to the people.
Over time, as these younger party representatives continue to serve their communities, they will become familiar names at the end of the day, he added
The Cheras constituency will see a three-cornered fight between Chong, who is Wangsa Maju MCA Youth chief and will be representing Barisan, DAP’s Tan Kok Wai for Pakatan Harapan, and Bersatu’s Chin Yoke Kheng for Perikatan Nasional.
According to Chong, some 60,000 of the 100,000 voters in this constituency will be within the 18- to 21-year-old age group.
In addition to being a former TV host, Chong was also a favourite choice at rally talks in the past elections, as the Kota Baru native not only speaks flawless Bahasa Malaysia but is equally fluent in the Kelantanese dialect.
