FACED with a surge in the number of Malay voters in the Seremban parliamentary constituency following the re-delineation exercise, incumbent Anthony Loke from DAP will defend his seat.

Loke, who is also DAP national organising secretary, told The Malaysian Insight it would be a formidable challenge to defend the seat, as it would become a mixed seat with more Malay voters after the re-delineation of its electoral boundary.

“It’s a huge challenge for DAP but if the party nominates me, I will stay.

“You cannot avoid challenges in politics… if (MCA Youth chief) Chong Sin Woon stands and I go to another seat, MCA will think I’m afraid and that they have scored a moral victory,” said Loke who is also the DAP Negri Sembilan chairman.

Based on the Election Commission’s 2016 proposed new electoral boundary, the Seremban parliamentary seat will see an increase in Malay voters, from 44% to 47%, and a decline in Chinese voters from 41% to 37%.

The change in voter composition is a result of the relocation of three Chinese majority polling districts from Seremban to the Rasah parliamentary constituency. 

A member from the DAP research unit said such a change would strengthen DAP’s chances of retaining Rasah but decreases its chances of keeping Seremban.

Loke said such a scenario is beneficial to MCA, which announced last year that Chong will contest in Seremban.

Loke won the Seremban seat by 12,553 votes in 2013.

Out of the then 102,305 registered voters, 41% were Chinese, Malays (44%) and Indians (14%).

He was elected as Rasah MP in 2008.

“If we cannot retain Seremban, a seat we’ve won, we can forget about winning Putrajaya.

“If even at a point where the country is facing so many problems, a prime minister with so many scandals, with a former prime minister going to the opposition, we still cannot topple a corrupt regime… Malaysia’s democratic progress will experience a long winter. It will be difficult to (start all over again).” – January 16, 2018.