AS voters go to the polls tomorrow, the rift between former Batu MPs Tian Chua and incumbent P. Prabakaran continues to be a sideshow.  

This is after Tian Chua decided to pursue legal action against Prabakaran for slander and defamation. 

The issue was widely reported when Prabakaran claimed that Tian Chua was preventing Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim from becoming prime minister. 

It was reported that Prabakaran allegedly said that Tian Chua’s claim of “one vote for me (Tian Chua) is one vote for Harapan” would confuse PH supporters. 

Despite the ongoing spat between the two former comrades, Prabakaran remained confident he would retain the seat.  

He also admitted that while he was grateful to Tian Chua for helping him win the last general election, their political principles were now different. 

He added that Tian Chua had chosen the wrong path to contest as an independent. 

The 26-year-old also iterated that Tian Chua’s former allies from 2008 were still with him. 

Tian Chua, however, said that his return to Batu as an independent candidate was due to a promise made to voters four years ago. 

“I made a promise to Batu voters that I will continue to serve. I will not leave Batu. I have to keep that promise,” he said. 

Prabakaran won the seat as an independent with the support of Tian Chua in the 2018 election.  

Tian Chua was disqualified from contesting in the 2018 general election due to a RM2,000 fine for insulting the modesty of a police officer.  

In 2018, Prabakaran garnered 38,125 votes, defeating BN’s Dominic Lau Hoe Chai (13,687), PAS candidate Azhar Yahya (10,610), and independent V. M. Panjamothy (383).  

In GE15, the Batu seat is seeing a 10-cornered fight, but is still unclear who will emerge victorious.  

Political observers, however, have a different view on how things will pan out in Batu.  

They are looking at a crowded field, split votes, and a challenge from a former ally for Prabakaran. 

The observers also noted that Prabakaran, who is going for his second term, has a high chance of winning based on his work in the constituency since 2018. 

They also do not think Tian Chua will fare well as an independent, especially if he has no machinery. 

They said most of the other candidates would lose their deposits. 

Also in the race for the seat are Barisan Nasional’s A. Kohilan Pillay, Azhar Yahya (Perikatan Nasional), Wan Azliana Wan Adnan (Pejuang), Naganathan Pillai (Warisan) and Mohd Zulkifli Abdul Fattah (Parti Rakyat Malaysia).  

The independent candidates are lawyer Siti Kasim, social media influencer Nur Fathiah Syazwana Shaharudin, and social activist Too Cheng Huat. 

The contenders who could most probably cause an upset are Kohilan and Siti Kasim, who have hit the Batu circuit since nominations on November 5. 

Kohilan is banking on the rift between Tian Chua and Prabakaran to take him to the finish line tomorrow. 

The MIC vice-president said the quarrel between Prabakaran and Tian Chua was actually an advantage for him as it split the votes.

Siti Kasim meanwhile said she was banking on her track record to win. 

“I don’t feel anything in going against the heavyweights as I have a proven track record of championing for the people. So, I’m not worried.” 

In this very crowded race, every candidate has been seen moving around the constituency to gain support from voters.   

The Batu constituency has an estimated 113,000 voters. Its ethnic composition are Malays making up 43%, followed by Chinese (30%), Indians (20%) and others (7%). – November 18, 2022.