DAMANSARA Utama assemblyman Yeo Bee Yin will contest the Bakri parliamentary seat in Johor in the 14th general election, party sources said.

She will replace two-term incumbent MP Er Teck Hwa.

Yeo declined to confirm or deny the information to The Malaysian Insight. An official announcement is expected in the next few days, as Pakatan Harapan prepares to hold four events in Muar and Bakri on Saturday.

DAP wrested the Bakri seat from MCA in the 2008 general election. Until then, the seat held by MCA’s Chua Jui Meng since 1986 was thought to be a Barisan Nasional stronghold.

MCA did not field Jui Meng in 2008, which proved to be an error when Er chalked up an upset to win the seat with a slim majority of 722 votes.

Er went on to successfully defend Bakri in the general election in 2013.

Some believe PH is taking a risk fielding Yeo in Bakri.

Another party source told The Malaysian Insight some of the grassroots are dissatisfied with coalition’s decision to replace Er with her in Bakri.

“Yeo may not be able to count on local support as grassroots leaders with electoral experience may refuse to support her,” the source said.

The source said Chua Wee Beng, the incumbent assemblyman of Bentayan, a state seat under Bakri, would also be removed.

A  source in Bakri said Johor DAP organising secretary Won Yi Hao is set to replace Wee Beng.

Er also refused to reveal whether he had been asked to step aside for Yeo, saying it would be “more appropriate” for the DAP leadership make the official announcement.

“I think I shall leave it to the party to announce who will be contesting in Bakri. The party has only told us to do our part,” he said.

“As for me personally, I will be having a press conference at noon tomorrow to announce my future plans.”

It is learnt Er has already agreed to yield the seat to Yeo and he is expected to announce this at tomorrow’s press conference at Parliament.

MCA, meanwhile, is expected to field its Bakri division acting chairman Lee Ching Yong, again.

Lee contested and lost Bakri to Er by 5,067 votes in the 13th general election.

According to 2013 electoral data , Bakri has 67,202 registered voters and is a Chinese-majority seat. Chinese voters comprise 53%, Malay (44%), Indian (2%), and others (1%).

Yeo at a book launch last week said she was leaving Selangor to contest a seat in Johor.

DAP is hoping Yeo will be able to work with other PH candidates in the southern state to persuade voters to swing to the opposition.

Bakri is a parliamentary seat in northern Johor, along with Muar and Pagoh, which Bersatu will be contesting.

Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is set to contest the Muar seat, taking on three-term incumbent and deputy minister Razali Ibrahim.

The Pagoh seat is currently held by Bersatu president and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is expected to defend the seat.

PH is hoping to win all three seats to form a bastion in northern Johor.

A PH source told The Malaysian Insight  Johor PH would be pulling out all the stops in the front line state and PH component parties are expected to announce their candidates, which will include several big names, for Johor soon. – March 21, 2018.