DAP announced Subang Jaya councillor Wong Siew Ki as its Balakong candidate this afternoon.

Wong will be the first Pakatan Harapan candidate to contest under the coalition’s logo.

“We have told the prime minister (Dr Mahathir Mohamad). He is very happy DAP will be using Pakatan Harapan’s logo for the first time in the Balakong by-election.

“We made the decision on Sunday,” DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng told the press at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the party was still mourning the death of the late Balakong assemblyman Ng Tien Chee.

Ng, a second-term state legislator, was killed in a car accident on July 20.

He was well-loved by his constituents for his humility and good service record.

DAP polled 41,768 votes in the 14th general election, 35,538 votes more than PAS (6230 votes). MCA received 5,874 votes.

Wong, a documentary filmmaker, is Serdang DAP Socialist Youth chief and previously served as a political secretary to former Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

She will be going up against Cheras Batu 11 MCA Youth chief and businessman Tan Chee Tiong, who is also contesting in an election for the first time.

Wong will resign from her post as Subang Jaya councillor to focus on the election campaign.

Nomination is on Saturday and Balakong voters, made up of 61% Chinese, 30% Malays, and 8% Indians, will go to the polls on September 8.

Wong said she understood Balakong’s people’s woes as Serdang, the area she served since 2016 as a Subang Jaya councillor, is just next to Balakong.

The 32-year-old has a bachelor’s degree in modern language and communication and a master’s in Chinese literature from Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Also at the press conference were DAP national chief Tan Kok Wai, Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua, Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming, and Yong.

Pua, who initially recommended former Astro AEC Mandarin news host and journalist Yunna Tan as a candidate, said Wong was a diligent and loyal grassroots leader.

Tan said in a Facebook post today that she respected the party leadership’s decision and was willing to help Wong campaign.

Tan resigned from Astro recently to join DAP. Rumours of her candidacy in Balakong had drawn opposition from Balakong DAP grassroots. – August 14, 2018.