Johor MCA rejects viral state election lineup, says candidate selection still under review

ISKANDAR PUTERI, June 4 — Johor MCA today dismissed as fake a purported state election candidates’ list circulating on social media that names party president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong as the candidate for the Skudai seat.

Johor MCA deputy chief Ling Tian Soon said the list is not an official party document and does not reflect any decision made by the party.

He said Johor MCA has never issued any candidate list or document related to the upcoming state election.

“In my capacity as the Johor MCA deputy chief, I strongly disclaim the authenticity of the list.

“I believe the fake list is an attempt by irresponsible parties to mislead the public ahead of the state polls,” he told reporters after the state-level World Nurses Day celebration at Sunway Hotel Big Box here today.

Ling, who is also MCA Youth chief, was responding to a widely circulated list purportedly issued by the party that named 15 MCA members as candidates for the upcoming Johor state election.

He cautioned the public against believing the document, describing it as an attempt to spread misinformation and create confusion ahead of the polls.

Ling, who is the incumbent Yong Peng assemblyman and Johor executive councillor, said such tactics are not unusual in the lead-up to elections.

“In politics, such an occurrence is considered normal when election season draws near as a means to create various speculations from fake documents,” he said, urging the public to rely only on information from official channels to avoid confusion.

Earlier, a purported Johor MCA state election candidates’ list bearing the letterhead of the party’s state liaison committee began circulating on social media.

The list named 15 MCA candidates and their respective constituencies, including Wee for the Skudai state seat and Ling to defend Yong Peng.

In a related development, Ling said MCA has already identified potential candidates for the upcoming state election and submitted their names to the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership for consideration.

“The potential MCA candidates’ names will go through a screening process before the final decision is made,” he said.

Ling said MCA’s proposed allocation for the Johor election is based on the 15 seats the party contested in the 2022 state polls.

He added that the proposed lineup comprises a balanced mix of younger and more experienced leaders, as well as a healthy gender representation.

“Johor MCA will also leave the final number of seat allocations to the BN leadership in the spirit of the coalition’s camaraderie.

“However, we are confident that the proposed 15 seats that we previously contested will be maintained by the BN leadership,” he said.