The Barisan Nasional candidate for the upcoming Indera Kayangan by-election will have to explain her stand on several issues affecting the Chinese community before voters decide to choose her as their representative.

Keadilan supreme council member Dr Lee Boon Chye said the BN candidate should make her stand clear on issues such as MCA's purchase of the Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press dailies which she said she supported in May last year.

Lee said the candidate, 58 year-old Oui Ah Lan, would also be asked to explain her stand on the Vision school concept as proposed by the government.

"If she cannot explain her stand then she is not suitable to represent the Chinese community there," Lee told malaysiakini today.

BN yesterday announced Oui's candidacy for the by-election on Jan 19. Oui, a retired Chinese school headmistress, is the Perlis state MCA wanita chief and Arau division chairperson.

It is learnt that Oui has strong grassroots support in the state but may have to contend with a disgruntled Steven Lee Yin Chon, who was short-listed as one of the BN candidates and had been keenly eyeing the candidacy.

Lee, who is MCA Kangar division vice-chairperson, is said to have strong links with Chinese community leaders and association members whose influence will play a key role in determining whether Oui will lead BN to victory on polling day.

According to sources, Lee's supporters have been working behind the scenes to support Keadilan.

Nanyang flak

Both BN and Barisan Alternatif will be homing in on issues to garner a swing of votes from the Chinese community.

Chinese and Malay voters comprise 47.9 percent and 46.4 percent of the electorate respectively with Indians forming 5.3 percent and other races 0.4 percent.

Indera Kayangan, a state seat in the Perlis capital of Kangar, has 7,976 voters, including 752 postal voters. A nine-day campaign period begins from nomination day on Jan 10.

While MCA is expected to hound PAS on its Islamic state stand, it is preparing itself for flak from constituents over the Nanyang issue and the subsequent split in the party.

Dr Lee said the 'real fight' in Indera Kayangan would be between BA and BN and not between PAS and Umno.

"As such, the Islamic state matter will be a non-issue," he said.

Unofficial help

Another Keadilan supreme council member Ng Lum Yong said it would be better if DAP leaders did not show up at Indera Kayangan as they would distract the opposition campaign's focus from national issues to the Islamic state controversy.

DAP, which pulled out of BA in Sept, has decided to stay away from the campaign as it does not want to appear to be supporting an Islamic state, which is keenly propagated by PAS, its former ally in BA.

However, despite the official stand, some DAP leaders are heading north to assist in the campaign in their own 'personal capacity'.