Nga Kor Ming defends DAP’s fresh faces strategy for Johor election, cites merit and vetting

JOHOR BAHRU, June 25 — Candidates for the Johor state election were chosen based on merit and experience rather than at random, DAP deputy national chairman Nga Kor Ming said today.

He said each candidate had been thoroughly vetted to ensure that only individuals with exemplary track records were being fielded.

“These candidates have cleared multiple rounds of vetting because we want to offer nothing but the best to Bangsa Johor because we care about Johor,” he told reporters at the Sentuhan Kasih 4.0 community programme under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) at Flat Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Skudai, here today.

Nga was speaking in response to questions over Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) strategy of fielding a large number of fresh faces for the upcoming 16th Johor state polls.

Also present at the event was PH’s candidate for the Skudai state seat, J. Kartiyani.

Nga said that although it is her first time contesting an election, the Skudai candidate is ‘no novice’ to community work.

“She is a Skudai native who was born, raised, and educated locally before pursuing a law degree at Universiti Malaya.

“She has served this area for over a decade before being given the opportunity to contest. We are confident she will effectively champion the people’s voice and act as a strong bridge between the local community and the federal government,” he said.

Nga expressed confidence that the Johor people would make the right choice for both the state and the country, while continuing to uphold democracy through active participation in the election.

The Election Commission has scheduled nomination day for June 27, with early voting on July 7, ahead of polling day on July 11.

The Johor State Legislative Assembly has 56 seats. Before its dissolution, Barisan Nasional (BN) held 40 seats, followed by PH with 12, Perikatan Nasional with three, and Muda with one. — Bernama