JOHOR BARU: Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong looks likely to stand in the state election and be fielded in the Perling seat.

       Ex-councillor Marina Ibrahim is tipped to contest in Skudai.

       It is learnt that these two candidates will be the last to be announced by the party at an event in Senai today.

       DAP has so far announced 12 candidates out of the 14 seats it is contesting in the state polls.

       Both the incumbents for Skudai and Perling, Tan Hong Pin and Cheo Yee How respectively, said that as at press time, they had not been informed of or invited for the event.

       When contacted, both were unhappy that they did not get an invite to the event.

       “We have done our best to serve the people in our areas. Why are we being treated this way?” one of them said.

       Both are two-term assemblymen who won with huge majorities in GE14.

       Asked if he would help during the campaigning, Tan said that until now he had not been privy to any information and did not know what to do during the campaign period.

       Both feel that Liew should be more forthcoming about the reasons why they were dropped.

       The Star previously reported that at least four former Johor DAP chiefs had contested in state seats in the last 40 years.

       They were Dr Boo Cheng Hau, who won twice in Skudai, and Pang Hok Liong (once in Bekok) as well as Ahmad Ton and SK Song, who lost in their bids.

       It is learnt that Liew recently told his state committee members that he was not keen to stand in a state election and wanted to concentrate his efforts at the national level.

       However, after controversies erupted over his purported plan to drop five assemblymen not aligned to him, the party leadership directed him to take charge and stand in this election.

       So far, three out of the five “rogue assemblymen” have been retained – Yeo Tung Siong for Pekan Nanas, Ng Yak Howe (Bentayan) and Ee Chin Li (Tangkak).