More young candidates to be fielded in GE14

MCA will field more young candidates in the 14th general election (GE14) after the party's top leadership gave due consideration to the request of its Youth wing.

MCA Youth chief, Datuk Chong Sin Woon said the wing was grateful for this as there would be more new faces contesting this time.

He was asked by reporters on candidates to be fielded by MCA in the coming general election, after visiting the victims in last Sunday''s fire incident in Sikamat New Village, here, today.

Chong who is also Deputy Education Minister, said in preparing for the coming general election, MCA had drawn up various strategies including injecting a difference by involving leaders of Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties together on the campaign stage.

"Today's young generation prefer to see political leaders from various races sitting or campaigning together and this is what we're going to do.

"However, campaigning directed at Chinese-majority audiences will still go on, likewise with UMNO and the other component parties for their target audience," he said.

Chong said campaigning involving other BN component parties was in line with the Jalinan Rakyat Plus (JR Plus) programme launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in April.

This programme combines the election machinery of UMNO and its Wanita, Youth and Puteri wings, as well as the involvement of other component parties and their respective wings.

"So far, we have carried out the joint campaign in five states, namely Pahang, Perak, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Kedah," Chong said.

Also present during his visit today were Ampangan assemblyman Datuk Abu Ubaidah Redza, who is also state Public Utilities, Environment, Cooperatives and Consumerism Committee chairman. -- Bernama