MELAKA: Besides having a surname in common, Kota Laksamana contenders Low Chee Leong and Benjamin Low Ching Hong are not taking the competition lightly while striving to win over the electorate with deeds, not words.

       Incumbent Chee Leong of Pakatan Harapan said he would never underestimate his opponent, who is already making inroads into the hearts of voters in the constituency.

       “I have to work hard and continue to be humble during the campaign period,” he said in an interview here on Friday (Nov 12).

       He faces Barisan Nasional's Benjamin and Karen Fong Kai Ling of Perikatan Nasional in a three-cornered battle for the urban constituency which has 28,777 voters.

       Chee Leong said the voters here are matured and it is not easy to sway them with rhetoric.

       “So I am not going to say that I would easily win the seat as an incumbent,” he said.

       For Benjamin, the fight to wrest the constituency is tough but he has been receiving positive feedback from voters.

       “I am looking at the positive side of things despite Kota Laksamana being labelled as an Opposition stronghold,” he said.

       Benjamin said although he is a new face, he has been part of the MCA Crisis Relief Squad (CRSM) and serving the electorate long before the state election was called.

       “Furthermore, the sentiment of the electorate is different (now) compared to the 14th General Election.

       “Voters are welcoming me with open arms wherever I go, the opposite of what Barisan candidates used to face in the previous election (during campaigning),” he said.

       The Star has also reached out to Fong for comment on the tussle for Kota Laksamana.