KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Former PKR vice-president Tian Chua has set his sights on a return to Parliament and is open to contesting his former stronghold of Batu, citing enduring grassroots support from the constituency.

However, the 62-year-old stalwart maintained that any final decision regarding candidacy and seat deployment rests entirely with the party leadership.

“In the short term, of course, I think I still have the energy to contribute in Parliament, and I would like to go back to Parliament,” he told FMT in an interview.

Tian Chua represented Batu for two consecutive terms after winning the seat in 2008. He was barred from defending it in the 2018 general election after a returning officer disqualified his nomination papers over a RM2,000 court fine.

In response, he endorsed then independent student activist P. Prabakaran, who went on to secure the seat before formally joining PKR.

Tensions escalated during the 2022 general election when Tian Chua ran as an independent against Prabakaran after the party chose the incumbent to defend the seat, a move that led to Tian Chua's expulsion from PKR in January 2023.

Despite the political fallout, Tian Chua claimed that his ties to the grassroots remain intact.

“For the community in Batu, they have been expressing a strong desire that I would come back to serve them because I have been connected to them for a few decades now.”

Aside from his personal electoral prospects, the veteran politician stressed that his broader mission is ensuring PKR matures into an enduring democratic institution capable of outlasting individual political cycles.

“I think the main goal is that PKR wants to leave a legacy so that this political party’s name, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, is here to stay,” he said.

He urged the party to maintain its founding commitments to inclusivity and equality while cementing an institutional foundation that can weather shifting electoral tides.

Tian Chua drew comparisons to historic parties in established Western democracies, pointing to the UK's Labour, Conservative, and Liberal traditions that have endured for generations across shifting political fortunes.

“They go up and down,” he said, observing that such parties remain permanent pillars of their political ecosystems by representing foundational values and distinct societal segments.

He argued that PKR must strive for the same institutional resilience.

“So for me, that is the main thing that I hope to leave for the future generation,” he said.