Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Chinese in Johor

The Straits Times

02 May 2018

A month earlier, Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) deputy chief Wee Ka Siong had lambasted the pact by Chinese-majority Democratic Action Party (DAP) to work with its former nemesis Mahathir Mohamad, saying: “They are not an alliance of hope (Pakatan Harapan). They are an alliance of hypocrisy.”

These slogans reflect the opposing parties’ priorities in Johor, a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold where the opposition made inroads in the last election with strong support from Chinese and urban voters, prompting Prime Minister Najib Razak to call the national swing against BN a “Chinese tsunami”.

The opposition is now banking on a “Malay tsunami” in Johor, where the DAP is upbeat about its chances but where the MCA has not sat still either. As part of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) aim to form the national government, DAP has parachuted in its prominent candidates.

This round, MCA faces off against DAP in six of the eight parliamentary seats it is contesting in Johor.

Said S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Malaysia researcher Chan Xin Ying: “Although Chinese education is important for the Chinese, MCA’s image of being subservient to Umno remains a big issue for the ethnic group as well.”

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Last updated on 03/05/2018