LABIS, March 28 — The coffee shop talk here is that incumbent MP Datuk Chua Tee Yong, who is also the International Trade and Industry deputy minister, has a good chance of retaining his seat even though he only won by a majority of 353 votes in 2013, a sharp drop from the 2008 general election where his majority was 4,094 votes.

Halim Harun, 57, who is a keen observer of local politics said Chua seemed to be well liked. He added that Chua has been meeting "voters in small groups, solving small problems accordingly which I personally think brings him closer to the people.”

Labis also has no local issues, which is an advantage for Chua but national issues played up by the DAP will take centre stage among Chinese voters in Bekok which is Chua’s "poison” in the coming general elections.

In Kluang, which is an hour and a half from Labis, all seems calm despite the fact that its current MP Liew Chin Tong will be moving out to contest Ayer Hitam. DAP’s Liew won it in the last general election with a handsome majority of 7,359 votes.

DAP actually won the seat once in 1978, the first for DAP in Johor, and its candidate Lee Kaw created history by breaking into the Malay heartland which is also the birth place of Umno.

However, he lasted only one term and in 1982 MCA retook the seat and held it until 2013 when DAP won it again.

DAP may find its chances of retaining the seat this time around just 50/50 given the MCA and Umno are working hand-in-glove to retake the parliament seat and retain the state seat of Mahkota held by Umno. 

The other state seat with a majority Chinese — Mengkibol — is expected to stay with DAP.

Issues in Kluang centre around land titles as both Chinese and Malay voters—many have stayed on TOL land for more than 20 years — expect some kind of permanent grant considering quite a few of them depend on cultivation for their livelihood.

Depending on who MCA fields, the DAP’s moving Liew to Ayer Hitam may not be the right move at this time.

In Segamat, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, who is also MIC president, will try to hold on to the parliamentary seat where the Chinese and Malays are nearly equal in number while the Indians comprise only 10 per cent of the constituency.

Segamat has two state seats that clearly define its race make-up; Jementah which is Chinese populated and held by DAP and Buloh Kasap — where Segamat town is located and which is populated by majority Malays who mainly stay in the many Felda schemes around the town — is BN-held.

Subramaniam is said to be focusing on wooing voters in Jementah, trying to bank on fence sitters while servicing the loyal voters in the many Felda schemes.

MIC has no election machinery to start with as Subramaniam, and former BN MPs from MIC before him, is dependent on Umno’s election machinery which is touted to be the best that can reach the most remote homes in the vast Felda schemes.

A local grassroots campaigner who wants to be known as Tok Bakar, 59, said the scenario has changed a bit because of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM).

"Although Pribumi has not swayed die-hard Umno voters, the party attracts young voters who may chip off the majority Subramaniam polled last time. But the way I see it, Subra still has the edge and I think he will retain the seat,” he commented.