Barisan Nasional candidate for the Tebrau seat Datuk Nicole Wong Siaw Ting greeting voters during her walkabout.
JOHOR BARU: Tebrau may be labelled a tough seat, but Barisan Nasional's candidate Datuk Nicole Wong took it on herself to walk the talk about daring to take on difficult battles.
"As MCA Youth chief, I have the responsibility of setting a good example for those under me. I cannot back down from any challenges as there are many who look up to me.
"Many were reluctant to contest in Tebrau as there are many uncertainties but for me, that is the challenge that I must tackle.
"That is why I chose to give up my senatorship and decided to take on the challenge of contesting in this constituency," she said.
Wong gave up her senatorship on Nov 3 to contest in the 15th General Election (GE15) after being appointed about five months ago.
The 42-year-old mother of three made history in 2018 when she became the first woman national MCA Youth chief.
Wong said that she had taken on a similar challenge in 2013 when she contested against Teresa Kok for the Seputeh seat but lost.
"Despite not winning, the experience made me stronger and realise that I have an important responsibility to ensure voters understand the importance of their ballots," she said.
Wong noted the political stability Johor enjoyed following the state election had also inspired her to work harder on her campaign.
"Back then, I was on the ground during the state election to ensure the victory of our candidates.
"The hard work paid off as we can now see that Johor achieved political and economic stability. We need to push for the same stability at the Federal level," she said.
On her campaign in Tebrau, she said that she received a warm welcome from the people of the constituency who wanted to see more economic growth.
"The people of Tebrau have shared with me their desire to see the local economy improving and they need an MP who is up to the task.
"If chosen, I will do my level best to bring the voices of the people forward and ensure that they will not be disappointed," she said.
Wong added that among her plans for the people of Tebrau was to ease transportation by providing buses to Singapore and to improve environmental protection.
"When it comes to the environment, attention is normally given only after something tragic happens. This should not be the case and I want to champion this cause to bring more awareness to the public," she said.
Wong is facing a three-cornered fight against former state executive councillor Jimmy Puah Wee Tse from Pakatan Harapan (PKR) and Mohamad Isa Mohamad Basir from Perikatan Nasional (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia).
The Tebrau parliamentary constituency has the largest number of voters in Johor at 223,301 registered voters. It is among the top 10 parliamentary constituencies in the country with the most voters.
