IT will be a huge challenge to defend the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat, said incumbent Mah Siew Keong.

The Gerakan president said the seat could go either way in the 14th general election.

“It will be a huge challenge because when we won the by-election it was only with a 238-vote majority.

“We must also acknowledge that in the 13th general election, in Teluk Intan, we lost by 7,313 votes and that is a huge figure,” he told reporters during the Gerakan Chinese New Year celebration in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said it is not an easy seat due to it being a mixed seat with a breakdown of 40% Malay voters, 40% Chinese and 20% Indians.

Mah lost to DAP candidate M. Manogaran with a majority of 1,470 votes in the 12th general election in 2008. He lost again in the 2013 general election to DAP candidate Seah Leong Peng (majority of 7,313 votes).

Mah who is also the plantation industries and commodities minister then won the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat in a by-election in May 2014 following the death of the incumbent from cancer.

He defeated DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.

Mah said he has confidence for the seat and a lot had been done for the betterment of Teluk Intan such as the development of flood barriers.

“Although we lost in GE13, we are optimistic. If you ask me, we have a 50-50 chance,” he added.

Mah had previously said he would not opt for a safe seat and hopes to contest in the same seat in the 14th general election.

He said allegations that he would contest in a safe parliamentary seat to strengthen his status as Gerakan president is baseless. – February 16, 2018.