DAP Malacca secretary Damian Yeo Shen Li hinted today at the possibility of a fresh line-up of candidates for the Malacca state election.
Yeo, who is also the Duyong assemblyperson, said that 18 candidate forms have been bought today despite contesting for only eight seats.
He added that the line-up would be announced two or three days after Deepavali (Nov 4) by Pakatan Harapan leader Anwar Ibrahim as well as DAP Malaysia secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
“We have bought 18 candidate nomination forms. DAP will contest in only eight seats.
“The eight seats include Pengkalan Batu, the same constituency as in GE14,” Yeo said at a press conference outside the Election Commission’s Malacca branch office today.
Apart from Pengkalan Batu, the state seats DAP contested in GE14 were Gadek, Ayer Keroh, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana, Duyong, Bandar Hilir and Bemban.
All eight seats were won by DAP; however, former DAP member and Pengkalan Batu assemblyperson Norhizam Hassan Baktee defected from the party last year.
It was announced last week that DAP, contesting under the Harapan banner, would battle in eight seats while PKR and Amanah would go for 11 and nine seats, respectively – comprising all 28 state assembly seats in Malacca.
When asked, Yeo said that there were more than five new candidates considered for nomination.
He hinted that there was a possibility for incumbents to drop out and make way for fresh faces.
“There is a possibility for incumbents to drop (out). There may be incumbents who do not wish to contest (anymore).
“Whatever it is, we leave it to the leaders in DAP. For now, Pengkalan Batu is empty, but there may be incumbents who will contest there instead. There is a possibility.
“Perhaps Tey Kok Kiew (who is currently the Bandar Hilir assemblyperson) may go for a different seat. Perhaps I will go to Pengkalan Batu. We don’t know, but whatever it is, we are ready for the election,” he said.
Yeo expressed confidence in the coalition’s ability to work together in the state election, claiming that former Malacca chief minister Adly Zahari would lead the election machinery.
“Harapan is united. We have settled our logo issues and seat (allocations). I believe we are moving as one.
“We even have our chief minister candidate. Our candidate Adly will lead the election machinery,” he said.
He added that they were ready for any battle thrown at them, be these one-, two- or three-cornered fights.
“Our mind and our focus is to win for Harapan as a whole and at the state level.
“We are ready, in whatever sense,” Yeo added.
It was previously reported that Harapan appointed Adly as the head of the coalition’s election machinery for the state election after rejecting former DAP member Norhizam Hassan Baktee.