BARISAN Nasional (BN) has yet to decide on a candidate for the Tg Piai parliamentary seat despite having launched its election machinery yesterday.

In a statement, MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon said yesterday’s event was just to launch the coalition’s machinery and that was indicated in a letter sent out by BN to all its component parties.

“MCA is not surprised with what happened yesterday. The BN supreme council has not met and it is the convention that candidates are decided at these meetings.

“The decision on the candidate is with the BN supreme council and no one in the coalition or any individual has the power to make this decision,” he said in a statement today.

He said the MCA is confident the meeting will be held soon and a decision will be made to the benefit of everyone in the coalition.

Chong’s statement comes after Johor BN chief Hasni Mohammad said the plan to announce a candidate was scrapped as a strategy to get Pakatan Harapan (PH) to reveal its candidate first.

“PH said it wanted to announce on October 30 but when we wanted to name our candidate at 4pm today, it made its announcement at 2pm. 

“They lost. We managed to trick them. We have to be smart.

“PH’s candidate is 66 years old. So, we hope we don’t have to go through another by-election. It is tiring,” said Hasni yesterday after the launch of the BN machinery in Pontian.

Hasni was supposed to announce BN’s candidate yesterday.

PH’s candidate is Tg Piai Bersatu chief Karmaine Sardini, who is a businessman and an imam.

He has worked as a technician and architect at Kuala Lumpur City Hall and as a temporary teacher in schools in Kota Tinggi and Pontian, Johor.

The Tg Piai by-election was triggered following the death of its lawmaker Md Farid Md Rafiq of Bersatu.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he has given the mandate to Hasni to make the announcement when the time is right.

Zahid said the decision not to make the announcement was discussed with MCA president Wee Ka Siong.

“Our candidate is a local man too, but Hasni said let us not do it today. MCA president too whispered to me not to do it today.

“I have talked to Wee, I want to stress that the mandate is given to Hasni to make the announcement.

“Hopefully he will not take that long.”

MCA is hoping that BN will name Wee Jeck Seng as its candidate as Chinese voters make up 42% of the constituency.

However, there are Umno leaders who have demanded the seat be given to a Malay.

PAS, meanwhile, has agreed not to contest the seat to avoid a three-corner fight.

The Election Commission has set November 2 for nominations and November 16 for polling. – October 29, 2019.