MELAKA: MCA strengthened its hold on Kelebang and Machap Jaya, retaining both seats with substantially bigger majorities in the Melaka state election.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the improved results reflected the hard work and service of the two incumbents, Datuk Lim Ban Hong and Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem, over the past few years.
He thanked voters for their support, saying the party was honoured to have two hardworking representatives who had earned their constituents’ recognition.
“Previously, Lim’s majority was only about 800 over votes. This time, it has increased to more than 6,000 votes,” he said.
“Similarly, Ngwe previously won with a majority of over 900 votes, but this time it has increased to more than 2,000 votes.
“This shows that the two incumbents have been recognised as good representatives who have served their constituencies well.
“Their efforts have translated into votes and support,” he added.
Dr Wee said he hoped both representatives would continue to perform well and play their respective roles in the state government.
Lim retained the Kelebang seat with 12,522 votes and a 7,035-vote majority in a four-cornered contest, while Ngwe held onto Machap Jaya with 6,686 votes and a majority of 2,236 in a three-cornered fight.
On MCA’s unsuccessful attempts to capture Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir from DAP, he acknowledged that both were traditionally difficult seats for the party.
He said MCA had fielded candidates in the two constituencies to gauge support among voters, particularly in areas where DAP had traditionally enjoyed strong backing.
“Compared with the previous election, when we lost our deposits in both constituencies, this time we managed to retain them and cross the minimum threshold.
“That shows we have improved, although there is still room for us to do better,” he said.
Dr Wee said MCA needed to continue adapting and improving its performance, adding that the party was not afraid to take on the challenge of representing the Chinese community even in constituencies with a high proportion of Chinese voters.
He said the results in the two seats showed that the party had made progress, but it would need to continue working to strengthen its support.
