JOHOR BARU: MCA has named 14 of the 15 candidates it is fielding in the Johor election, a combination of young and senior faces with an average age of 43.

       MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the candidates were also a good mix of young people, professionals and seniors, with nine of them being new faces.

       “Six of them are in their 30s, the youngest is 27,” he said, adding that the oldest is 60.

       “We are also fielding four women candidates, which is 30% of the total number of candidates.”

       The 14 are See Ann Giap (Jementah), Tan Chong (Bekok), Ong Chee Siang (Tangkak), Gan Qi Ru (Bentayan), Ling Tian Soon (Yong Peng), Ter Hwa Kwong (Penggaram), Kelly Chye Pei Yee (Mengkibol), Lee Ting Han (Paloh), Chan Shan Shan (Johor Jaya), Ang Boon Heng (Stulang), Tan Hiang Kee (Perling), Lim Soon Hai (Skudai), Shen Poh Kuan (Senai) and Tan Eng Meng (Pekan Nenas).

       “The candidacy for the Puteri Wangsa seat still needs some adjustments and will be finalised later,” said Dr Wee.

       “One more name will come later, as some adjustments are still needed. This is a normal process in every election.

       “We will announce the candidate later,” he told the press here yesterday.

       Dr Wee, also Johor MCA liaison committee chairman, said it took time for the candidates to be finalised as there were seats the party does not traditionally contest in.

       “It was a lengthy discussion lasting into the night on Wednesday. We want to field only the best candidates, and that was why we asked for more time from the Barisan Nasional leadership before our announcement.

       “After the 15 seats were announced, we checked again with Barisan, and we are ready to announce the candidates for 14 seats,” he added.

       The announcement was made without the candidates present, but Dr Wee said the media would get to see and know them better during the party’s anniversary celebration in Yong Peng today.

       He called on party members to work even harder to garner support, particularly with new voters in the Johor election.

       The Ayer Hitam MP reminded them that the party lost in all 15 state seats it contested in the last general election.

       “Before this, some quarters claimed that MCA could not attract the support of the community, including professionals and youths.

       “So, in this election, we present a list of qualified candidates, consisting of fresh faces, young people, professionals and also women,” he said.

       Asked if Parti Warisan Sabah joining in the fray in Johor would threaten MCA in gaining Chinese support, Dr Wee said any party has the right to contest in any mature democracy and MCA is undeterred.

       “We will strive on and work hard as a team in Barisan to ensure victory. We may even face four or five-cornered fights but come what may, we will soldier on,” he said.