Some familiar DAP faces to sit out GE15 race?

A number of DAP MPs who have been household names in their constituencies for several terms now may not be defending their seats at the upcoming election, MalaysiaNow understands from party insiders. 

The names in circulation include Pang Hok Liong (Labis), Tony Pua (Damansara), Charles Santiago (Klang) and Wong Ling Biu (Sarikei).

They would join party veteran Lim Kit Siang (Iskandar Puteri), who retired from active politics in March, and Ong Kian Ming (Bangi), who said in May that he would not contest the 15th general election (GE15) as he wished to take a break from the political frontline. 

A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "at least a few" would either be dropped or would not offer themselves as candidates at GE15 on Nov 19. 

"Some made the choice on their own, and some were decided by the party," the source said. 

This comes as two-term Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto announced that she had decided not to defend her seat in GE15. 

She said she had decided against contesting the election in order to make way for future leaders in DAP, brushing off talk that she had been dropped as a candidate. 

"The party leadership persuaded me to rethink my decision, but after much thought, I will stick to my decision and have received the full support and blessings of the party leadership which I truly treasure," she said. 

"There have been rumours that I had been dropped, but this is not the case as I am stepping down of my own accord." 

Talk of a change in line-up had swirled earlier this month as well, with reports that Selangor DAP branches were keen to replace Santiago with Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Santiago, who has been the MP for Klang since March 2008, never directly addressed the claim himself, although he said he had no plans to vacate the parliamentary seat.

Pua, meanwhile, won the Damansara seat at the last general election in 2018, ousting MCA's Ho Kwok Xheng with a majority of 106,903 votes.

He was previously the MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, a seat he held from March 2008 to May 2018. 

Sarikei MP Wong, meanwhile, won his seat at GE14, defeating Huang Tiong Sii of Barisan Nasional-SUPP.

According to the party source, however, he too is on the "not contesting list". 

Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen had previously hinted that not all of the party's MPs in the state would be chosen to defend their seats, saying those who had not performed during their tenures would be "dropped". 

There are a total of six DAP MPs in Sarawak: Chong himself (Stampin), Wong, Kelvin Yii (Bandar Kuching), Alice Lau (Lanang), Oscar Ling (Sibu) and Mordi Bimol (Mas Gading). 

Labis, meanwhile, had been considered a BN-MCA vote bank since 1986. It was won twice by MCA's Chua Tee Yong at the 2008 and 2013 polls. 

Chua was defeated by Pang in 2018 with a slim majority of 3,408 votes.