KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 — Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa announced today that he will not defend his seat in the 14th general elections (GE14).

During a press conference outside Dewan Rakyat, the DAP lawmaker stressed that there was no pressure from his party’s central leadership for him to step aside.

"I made this decision on my own to make way for a more suitable candidate, and I will support any candidate that the leadership fields there,” Er said.

The 45-year-old has served two terms in Bakri, having been elected in both 2008 and 2013.

His announcement comes following speculation that DAP is set to field current Damansara Utama state assemblyman Yeo Bee Yin for the Bakri parliamentary seat in the coming elections.

The move is seen as part of DAP’s planned assault in Johor, which will see some prominent leaders from other states move to contest key seats in the southern state.