Subang a PKR safe seat, but incumbent not easily replaceable, says analyst
PETALING JAYA : PKR's Subang MP Wong Chen may have sparked some discontent among party grassroots recently, but may be hard to replace given his policy expertise and strong backing from the urban electorate, an analyst said.
James Chin of the University of Tasmania told FMT that Subang remains a 'very safe seat' for PKR, and that the party could afford to drop Wong if it wished.
However, he said, Wong's contributions went beyond grassroots politics.
'Wong is not easily replaceable. He is one of the few Chinese MPs actively engaged in public policy. He's also quite popular in the Chinese urban community – not because of the usual constituency work but because of his contributions to policy.
'He's also well-known and active in the diplomatic community in Kuala Lumpur. PKR might find that useful, especially when it needs to send someone to defend government policies internationally,' he said.
Chin said Wong's recent frustration with the lack of reforms under the unity government arose from his long-time support for Rafizi Ramli and their shared push for change within PKR.
'Wong was in Rafizi's camp. It was all emotional for him after Rafizi lost (the deputy presidency).
'He saw himself and Rafizi as part of the reform group in PKR. It's obvious that he has come to the same conclusion as many Malaysians – that there have been no significant reforms under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim even after two-and-a-half years in government.
'Wong is just tired of pushing for reforms and nothing is happening. So now he's venting his anger,' he said.
Wong drew flak from his own party recently after voicing frustration over the government's failure to carry out meaningful institutional reforms.
Last week, Subang PKR deputy chief Wan Hasifi Amin said Wong's remarks were inappropriate for a party MP and called for him to step down if he was no longer aligned with PKR's direction.
Wan Hasifi also criticised Wong for not attending a single divisional meeting since being elected to the PKR central leadership council in 2022 – a post he lost in the party's recent elections.
Final decision rests with PKR's top leadership
Chin said Wong's fate would likely rest with the party's top leadership and not the division, given his background and profile.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Wong was more of a technocrat than a politician, but still won his parliamentary seat because of PKR's support.
'It's unbecoming of a PKR politician to publicly show a loss of confidence in the party. He can't have the best of both worlds – enjoying PKR's platform while criticising the party. That sends a negative message.
'If he has truly lost confidence, he should voice those views internally, not through public criticism,' he said.
Azmi said it was too early to speculate on candidates for the next general election, but acknowledged that Wong's remarks could jeopardise his chances of being re-nominated for the Subang seat.
On June 8, Wong announced that he was taking a two-week break from work for a family holiday, during which he would ponder his future in politics.
The former PKR central leadership council member said he could not shake a deep worry that the government led by party president Anwar would have little to show in terms of institutional reforms at the end of its parliamentary term.
Wong lost his seat on the PKR central leadership council in the May party polls, while Rafizi was defeated by Nurul Izzah Anwar for the deputy presidency and subsequently offered to resign from the Cabinet.
Wong is a two-term Subang MP, having first won the seat in the 2018 general election with a whopping 92,353-vote majority before recording an even bigger win in the 2022 general election with a 115,074-vote majority.
He was first elected an MP in 2013, when he won the contest for the Kelana Jaya seat for PKR with a 28,827-vote majority.
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