YONG PENG: Caretaker exco Ling Tian Soon remains MCA's choice to defend the Yong Peng state seat in the upcoming Johor election, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Ling’s work ethic speaks for itself, added the Johor MCA chief.
"His presence is strongly felt in Yong Peng. It is common to see him meeting residents at coffee shops as early as 5.30am and mingling with the people at 11pm.
"He makes it a point to be there to serve his constituents despite his heavy responsibilities as a state exco member," Dr Wee said when opening the Ayer Hitam MCA division meeting on Monday (June 1) night.
He believes caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who is Johor Barisan Nasional chairman, would agree with the selection as he has also publicly praised Ling and another MCA caretaker exco member, Lee Ting Han, for their hard work and performance.
Ling served as the state health and environment committee chairman.
Dr Wee, who is Ayer Hitam MP, added that Ling’s presence in Yong Peng stretched as far back as 16 years, unlike past opponents who disappeared after losing in elections.
"His journey was not an easy one either. In the 2018 general election, he lost by a margin of 5,089 votes but in the 2022 state election, he won the seat with a 2,741-vote majority," he said.
In 2022, Ling received 9,870 votes while Pakatan Harapan’s Alan Tee Boon Tsong collected 7,129 votes and Perikatan Nasional’s Susan Yong received 1,681 votes.
Onn Hafiz announced the dissolution of the Johor legislative assembly on Monday, paving the way for the 16th Johor election.
