JOHOR BARU: Barisan Nasional chairman Najib Tun Razak last night said that Umno would hold on to the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat for one term only if it wins the seat on May 5.
After that the seat would be handed back to MCA for the next general election, he said.
Najib said the traditional MCA seat was loaned to Umno so that Johor Umno chief and outgoing menteri besar Abdul Ghani Othman could take on DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang for the seat.
“I want to tell you, Gelang Patah will go back to MCA in five years. This is just a temporary operational license (TOL), the seat has always belonged to MCA,” he told a BN meet-the-people session last night.
Najib also said that Ghani wanted to stay out of the elections but was roped in by the party.
“Ghani didn’t want to contest but the party wanted him to stand. So as a loyal party member, he accepted the request,” he said.
Najib’s announcement over this matter clearly indicated that the move to place Ghani for the seat was a calculated move by BN to make sure Lim does not have an easy ride.
Initially the seat was to be contested on behalf of BN by local MCA chief Jason Teoh. Although there were some rumblings on the ground when the seat was taken away from the local MCA candidate, Teoh however later declared his support to Ghani and Umno.
When approached by reporters last night, Teoh welcomed Najib’s announcement, saying that it was a boost of confidence to the MCA.
He said he would continue serving the constituents and was ready to contest in the next GE.
Meanwhile, Najib also warned the 5,000-odd crowd not to test their luck with the opposition.
“Please don’t make the wrong choice. It’s not that you can rectify it in five years time. Once the mistake is committed, Iskandar will lose the momentum, it will never be the same again,” he said.
Gelang Patah is a seat with 52 percent Chinese voters, while Malays, Indians and Orang Asli make up 34 percent, 12 percent and 0.84 percent respectively.
