IPOH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is concerned about opposition support in the Kinta Valley and wants the Barisan Nasional to win the seats in the March 8 polls, MCA secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan said.
"I was asked by the prime minister at the BN supreme council meeting on Thursday on the status of the seats in the Kinta Valley," he said.
MCA candidates lost to DAP in the Ipoh Timur, Ipoh Barat and Batu Gajah parliamentary seats and also in the state seats of Pasir Pinji, Jelapang, Menglembu and Keranji.
The parliamentary seats were won by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timur) and national vice-chairman M. Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat). Fong Po Kuan defeated Ong in Batu Gajah.
"I told the prime minister that the BN election machinery is raring to go and will work hard to get back the seats we lost," he said after attending the Ipoh Timur BN Chinese New Year Open House here yesterday.
Present was Ipoh Timur MCA chairman Datuk Chew Wai Khoon.
"In the 2004 polls, the voters were under the impression that the Kinta Valley had no future and voted in the opposition for change, and in the last four years, they can assess the performance. I hope the BN candidates will be given a chance."
On the likelihood that he would contest the Gopeng parliament seat, Ong said he would not comment on the list of candidates before it was agreed to by the BN chairman.
"I had a heart-to-heart meeting with Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh and it was a good discussion."
Ting, a former MCA secretary-general, won the Gopeng seat in the last polls.
"I will submit the final list of candidates to the party president on Monday (today) and the list is expected to be sent to the prime minister on Tuesday or Wednesday."
Chew, who won the Tebing Tinggi state seat in 2004, was tipped to contest the Ipoh Timur seat but a new face, Perak MCA assistant secretary, Liew Mun Hon, is expected to be nominated.
Earlier in his speech, Ong said Ipoh needed further development to attract investors but had to have the political clout to request projects from the federal government.