WONG Siew Ki is not resting on her laurels despite being widely seen as the favourite to retain the Balakong state seat for Pakatan Harapan in the by-election on September 8.

The DAP candidate has also refused to ride on the popularity of PH and its former assemblyman, the late Eddie Ng Tien Chee, to win the seat.

“I am not taking things easy, even though I live in Serdang. I am quite familiar with this area. I am working hard to meet the people here and try to get them to accept and vote for me.

“The late Ng was a much-loved man here and he did tremendous work for Balakong and its people. But I must not assume the voters here will feel the same for me.

“I accepted this as a challenge, so I must work hard to win their confidence,” the 32-year-old said in an interview with Bernama.

Wong is in a straight fight with MCA’s Tan Chee Teong in the by-election which was called following Ng’s death in a road accident on July 20.

The Election Commission has allocated an unprecedented 21 days for the campaign. The nomination was on August 18 and polling is on September 8.

Wong said the long campaign period was an advantage, as it would give her sufficient time and the opportunity to introduce herself and get acquainted with as many constituents as possible.

The middle child of three siblings, who hails from Ipoh, was brought up indoctrinated in the belief not to challenge authority. But her political awakening came during her years at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

After graduating in Chinese studies in 2009, she started her blog “Tien Fei” and actively wrote about current issues affecting the country.

Wong also worked as a tuition teacher and honed her skills in filmmaking.

Among her notable works was Jatuh, a documentary about Teoh Beng Hock, a former political aide to Seri Kembangan state assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, who jumped to his death from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission building following an interrogation in 2009.

The documentary became the starting point of her foray into politics. Yong offered for her to be his political secretary after the 13th general election.

“I accepted the offer, even though I was not in DAP, because I felt the time had come for me to meet the people face-to-face and reach out to them, rather than hide behind a screen and use my keyboard to highlight my concerns.

“The opportunity also allowed me insights into every aspect of a political party. It took me a year to make my own assessment before I decided to join DAP in 2014,” said the Serdang DAP Wanita division deputy chief.

She later served as a councillor at the Subang Jaya municipal council for two years before resigning last week to contest the by-election.

Wong said her stint as a councillor gives her an advantage, and that understanding the workings of the government system allows her to work more effectively as a state assemblyman if she is elected.

She pledged to carry on the unfinished work and aspirations of the late Ng, such as resolving the water woes faced by many in the constituency.

Wong said she would also introduce plans to develop Balakong into a more vibrant township, including tapping into its rich cultural and heritage potential.

“There is more to Balakong than just a light industrial area. I hope more activities can be organised here in Balakong to promote its culture and the arts, and to engage more constructively with the youths in order for us to build a healthy community,” she said. – Bernama, August 20, 2018.