While most candidates for parliamentary seats will flaunt their service record in the upcoming elections, one nominee in Bukit Bintang will concentrate on what he calls "macro issues".

wee cho keong mdp pc 191107 look "It's high time that voters pick their representatives based on what they can do for them in Parliament and not how many clogged drains or rubbish centres they visit," said Malaysian Democratic Party (MDP) secretary-general Wee Choo Keong.

"Gone are the days when MPs only acted as the bridge between local councils in solving local issues. They should focus on getting the policy right in Parliament."

He will be one of four candidates in Bukit Bintang, the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur, alongside DAP incumbent Fong Kui Lun and Independent Lim Peng Soon (also known as Billi Lim). MCA's Dr Lee Chong Meng is speculated to stand as well.

Wee, now 53, first stood in the constituency on a DAP ticket in 1990 and defended the seat in 1995. However, he was disqualified after a court case involving MBF Bhd, and Lee stepped in for the rest of the term.

Wee returned to the seat in 1999, but was disqualified once more following a conviction for contempt of court.

In 2004, in his first attempt on a MDP ticket, he only garnered 1,106 votes against Fong’s 19,107 and the MCA candidate’s 18,821 votes.

"During the last elections, we were a new party. People who wanted to vote for me ended up ticking the rocket (DAP's logo) instead of our logo, and that made it look worse than it is. But I believe that voters are more educated now about us and we should do better," said Wee.

lee chong meng bukit bintang mca candidate interview 190208 smile On his likely opponents, Wee said that while Lee's (photo) record in service is strong, what voters should focus on is not on a candidate’s ability to solve ‘drain issues’.

"Voters today don't need 'DBKL liaison officers'. They need someone to take their problems to Parliament and put the pressure on municipal councils from there, and not just look at clogged drains and traffic woes. After all, we are all ratepayers."

Wee is also telling Bukit Bintang voters to look at the candidate and not the party. He said voters should take into account that Fong is a businessman, while he (Wee) is a lawyer and is therefore better equipped to voice their concerns in Parliament.

Three-corner tussles

Although both MDP and DAP are part of the opposition alliance that includes PKR, DAP, PAS, and the pro-tem Parti Socialis Malaysia, there will be some seats where three-corner fights may feature between the allies and Barisan Nasional candidates.

In a bid to avert a split in the opposition vote, MDP has urged DAP to step aside in the battle for Bukit Bintang.

bukit bintang parliamentary seat election results 180108 "DAP's Lim Kit Siang (photo) has said Bukit Bintang represents the fight against injustice and it is no longer a safe seat,” said a statement issued yesterday.

“Wee suffered grave injustice at the hands of former chief justice Eusoff Chin (and) was almost jailed for four years for alleged contempt of court.

“Instead of receiving support from Lim for the injustices, (Wee) was sacked for 'making irresponsible speeches prejudicial to the party, which caused disaffection to the leadership'.”

The statement added that, if the DAP is adamant about fielding Fong, it would only prove that the party is “selfish and paying lip service (in) its fight against injustices".

The seat has 61,051 registered voters. There are also 5,888 postal voters, an increase of 1,000 since 2004.