(Kulai, 20th) Democratic Action Party (DAP) Secretary-General Loke Siew Fook revealed that the party will showcase a strong multiracial and gender balance in the upcoming Johor state election. Among the 17 seats contested, nearly half of the candidates are women, and the party will field 3 Malay, 2 Indian, and 12 Chinese candidates, aiming to break Malaysia's deep-rooted racial political barriers.
He pointed out that the party's candidate arrangement for this Johor state election not only takes into account racial diversity but also achieves a high level of gender balance.
"The two announced this morning are both female candidates. We estimate that the overall proportion of female candidates in Johor DAP will be close to half."
He emphasized that DAP is not just paying lip service to empowering women politically and elevating their status, but is implementing it seriously. Under the leadership of the party's Johor chairman, Teo Nie Ching, the party has successfully discovered and promoted many outstanding female talents, pushing them to the political frontline.
Loke made these remarks at a press conference after announcing the candidates for the Senai and Bukit Permai state seats in Senai today.
He also revealed that so far, the party has announced five candidates, and the remaining 12 will be announced next Monday by Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan (PH) Chairman, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in Bukit Gambir.
At the same time, Loke reiterated that DAP's strategic goal is to help PH capture all three state seats under the Kulai parliamentary constituency. Among them, Senai is originally a DAP-held seat (the current representative is Pang Hok Liong), while Bukit Batu is held by PH's incumbant, Chong Fat Full.
"In the last state election, the only seat we failed to capture was Bukit Permai. Therefore, this time DAP is fielding a candidate with deep service experience in the area, namely Mohd Shafuan, the special assistant to the Kulai MP."
He revealed that Mohd Shafuan has been actively serving in the area for nine years since 2017. Although he was not born there, he currently resides there. Since Senai and Bukit Batu have had incumbents in the past, Mohd Shafuan's work focus and strategic emphasis have always been on Bukit Permai, a semi-urban constituency.
"We firmly believe that with his rich grassroots and frontline experience, local voters and the community are already quite familiar with him. This is the most important consideration for the party in making this appointment, hoping he can help PH recapture Bukit Permai."
It is worth mentioning that during Loke's speech, a hornbill (Ubak bird) appeared on the lamppost next to the stage, causing a stir among the DAP leaders attending the event.
