Datuk Chua Jui Meng is confirmed as PKR’s man for the Segamat federal seat, ending speculation over his candidacy for Election 2013.
Party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the Johor PKR chief’s seat as well as candidates for five other federal seats in the southern state on the stump in Tangkak last night, The Star Online news portal reported today.
The state party’s No. 2, Dr Ahmad Faidi Saidi, was named for Pasir Gudang while Johor deputy vice-president Hassan Karim is set to run in the Ledang parliamentary seat.
Johor PKR election committee chief Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar will contest in Sri Gading; Juleily Semani in Sekijang; and Onn Abu Bakar in Sembrong, which is currently held by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
Chua had previously engaged in a public spat with Johor DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau over the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat in the state, but Anwar announced last month that DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang would contest the seat instead in Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) drive to make inroads into the state known as Barisan Nasional’s (BN) stronghold.
Last week, Johor PKR was reported by news portal Malaysiakini as nudging Chua towards the Segamat seat, which party insiders believe it can win.
Segamat is now held by the MIC’s Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam who won the seat against a DAP candidate by a 2,991-vote majority in Election 2008.
Chua won the Bakri seat in Johor by an overwhelming 19,059 votes in the 2004 polls, but stayed out of Election 2008.
Johor-born Chua, an MCA veteran who joined PKR in 2009, appeared to have withdrawn from the public eye after Anwar’s announcement on the Gelang Patah seat, fuelling speculation about the ex-minister’s political future.
