JOHOR BARU: All eight MCA assemblymen-elect have begun serving their constituencies, just hours after the party doubled its representation in the Johor state election.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong convened an emergency meeting with the eight elected representatives shortly after the results were announced on Saturday night and instructed them to get to work immediately.
“I have told every assemblyman-elect that they must remain humble and always bear in mind the mandate entrusted to them by voters. Arrogance is absolutely not acceptable,” he said in a statement yesterday.
MCA increased its representation in the state assembly from four seats to eight, retaining Paloh, Bekok, Yong Peng and Pekan Nanas while capturing Tangkak, Jementah, Layang-Layang and Johor Jaya.
The four returning assemblymen are Lee Ting Han (Paloh), Tan Chong (Bekok), Ling Tian Soon (Yong Peng) and Tan Eng Meng (Pekan Nanas), while Haw Chin Teck (Tangkak), See Ann Giap (Jementah), Chua Jian Boon (Layang-Layang) and Chan San San (Johor Jaya) secured the party’s four additional seats.
Dr Wee said all MCA candidates, whether victorious or not, should take a brief rest after polling day before returning to the ground to thank voters and continue serving the people.
“Serving immediately is what matters most. I thank the people of Johor once again for their trust and support. MCA and the eight assemblymen-elect will repay Johoreans with action and sincerity,” he said.
Also present at the meeting were MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon and vice-presidents Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng and Datuk Lawrence Low.
Barisan Nasional won 48 seats in the election, while Pakatan Harapan secured the remaining eight seats – six won by DAP, one by Amanah and one by PKR.
Ling, who was doing his post-election walkabout yesterday, said the improved result reflected growing confidence in the work he and MCA had carried out in Yong Peng over the years.
He said voters were no longer voting based only on sentiment, but were comparing political parties, their manifestos, candidates’ service records and whether they had consistently served the people.
“We can see that voters still value candidates who provide local service and continue to work on the ground.
“Some candidates did not leave their constituencies even after losing previously. They continued to serve, and in the end, they received recognition from voters,” said the Johor MCA deputy chairman.
Barisan retained the Yong Peng seat after Ling defeated Pakatan’s Yong Hui Yi by a 4,603 vote majority.
