Blogger Jeff Ooi, who confirmed he is leaving ruling Gerakan to join rival DAP tomorrow, has hinted at the possibility of running for a parliamentary seat in the forthcoming general elections.

Although the 51-year-old father of three was tightlipped over the seat offered to him by the opposition party, it is believed that he will run for a seat in the Klang Valley.

"I think I am perceived as a national level young blood," he told malaysiakini in an interview. He added that the issues raised in his blog Screenshots, which he considers his 'virtual constituency', are appealing to urban voters.

According to DAP sources, Ooi - who works as a business intelligence analyst with a foreign-based company - could be fielded in either Selangor's Kelana Jaya or the Serdang parliamentary seat.

Prior to his plan of joining DAP, Ooi has been active in the community of Subang Jaya - where he resides. Subang Jaya is also a state seat that comes under the Kelana Jaya constituency.

The blogger added that should he be elected, he wanted to contribute in upholding the doctrine of parliamentary democracy based on a secular model.

"I can contribute towards bringing back the glory days of Tan Chee Khoon being the opposition leader, the days of (first prime minister) Tunku Abdul Rahman where he appreciated the opposition in the August House of Parliament," he said.

Ooi, who is considered the father of Malaysian blogging, was one of the first Malaysians to take to the blogosphere with his 'Screenshot' weblog four years ago.

Why DAP?

On his decision to join DAP, he said it was followed by a two-year "courtship" with the party after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng approached him.

Ooi, who was a Gerakan member since 2000, said he only became serious about the idea of entering active politics "lately" and made up his mind a week ago.

He explained that there was a series of events which prompted his decision to join DAP.

Among others, he said that he wanted to send a 'wake up' call over the issue of racial integration in Malaysia.

"It is my first and foremost concern to take away the barrier that separates races," he said, adding that he is also trying to convince prominent lawyer Haris Ibrahim to join DAP.

Ooi also said he chose DAP over other multi-racial parties such as PKR or Gerakan because he believed he could help break the public perception that DAP is a Chinese-based party.

"I have successfully established my image as a person who is a Malaysian - not Chinese - at heart. I can help DAP to dilute and water down what the mainstream media has demonised DAP (as a Chinese-based party) in the last four decades," he asserted.

Quizzed on why he could not play that role in Gerakan, Ooi said he has lost faith in Barisan Nasional and is disillusioned with the reform pledges made by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he came into office.

Ooi said he joined Gerakan in 2000 during the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis as he was of the opinion that there was a need for a concerted effort to reconstruct the country.

Blogger or politician?

With his entry into active politics now, how is Ooi going to address himself - a blogger or politician first?

"I would rather myself be addressed as a Malaysian," he answered.

"I will still continue to be a blogger. I will reveal my new political blog named 'Jeff 4 Malaysia'. I will continue to blog in my usual space (Screenshots) and talk about the same issues since I started in 2003.

"Of course (the new political blog) is meant for those who have interest in that and I don't want my political involvement to clutter all this, so politics is just one component of my life," he said.

Admitting that his independence as a blogger might be reduced in the eyes of readers, Ooi also said he has no problem in toeing the party line when asked on how he will blog on issues related to DAP in future.

"By taking a position to join the party, I share most of the party's aspirations. Should we have dissenting views, I think basically (we should be able to) agree to disagree," he said.

Ooi, who is also the pro-tem vice-chief for the National Alliance of Bloggers, said he will continue to hold the post.

On his family's reaction to his decision, Ooi said he had to convince his wife, an IT professional, who preferred a quiet family life.

DAP is slated to hold a welcoming tea party for Ooi in Petaling Jaya tomorrow.

Watch the five-minute video here.