PETALING JAYA: The DAP candidate who is defending his Kota Melaka parliamentary seat, Sim Tong Hin, has pulled out of the Kota Laksamana state contest, for which he is registered as an independent candidate against Barisan Nasional and his own party.
Sim’s office told FMT that his decision came after a dialogue with DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.
“He is still with DAP and is DAP’s candidate for Kota Melaka,” said a Sim aide.
Last Saturday, Sim defied a warning of automatic expulsion from the DAP disciplinary committee by filing his nomination papers as an independent candidate in Kota Laksamana and his party’s candidate in Kota Melaka.
Yesterday, however, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng however offered him an olive branch by giving 24 hours for him to withdraw his candidacy in Kota Laksamana.
DAP is fielding Lai Keun Ban for Kota Laksamana against Chiw Tiang Chai of PPP.
There are 19,772 voters in Kota Laksamana. About 83% of them are Chinese, 14% Malays and 3% Indians. Betty Chew won the seat for DAP in both the 2008 and 2004 elections.
In the Kota Melaka contest, Sim is in a straight fight against Yee Kok Wah of MCA.
Kota Melaka has 92,511 voters – 59% Chinese, 36% Malays and 4% Indians. Sim won the seat in 2008 by defeating MCA’s Wong Nai Chee by 11,390 votes.
