KULAI - Bukit Batu incumbent Arthur Chiong Sen Sern remains confident of defending his seat despite facing a crowded five-cornered battle in the upcoming Johor state election.
He said his track record and service to constituents will earn him another mandate.
Chiong, who won the seat with a relatively narrow majority in the 2022 state election said he was excited rather than pressured by the challenge ahead.
"I am feeling very excited to prove that I am good enough for my people. I am very confident that the people of Bukit Batu will vote for me again this time," he told Sinar Daily.
The PKR candidate acknowledged that Bukit Batu was among the few constituencies in Johor witnessing a five-cornered contest, but said he would not be distracted by the number of opponents.
"Indeed, it is one of the seats with five candidates. However, for us, we will only focus on our work.
"Rather than looking at others' strengths and weaknesses, we will only focus on our strategy and work to win this election," he said.
Political observers have noted that multi-cornered fights could potentially split votes and make the outcome less predictable.
However, Chiong believed voters would ultimately assess candidates based on their performance and commitment to the constituency.
Looking ahead, he pledged to improve accessibility to his constituents if re-elected.
"My first priority is to open another service centre in Taman Puteri and Taman Permai, which are the two biggest polling districts in my constituency," he said.
He said the additional service centres would enable residents to raise issues and obtain assistance more efficiently.
On criticism that PKR was a nepotistic political party, Chiong dismissed the claim, insisting that positions within the party are determined through democratic processes.
"I don't agree with that. Every position goes through the party election process and everyone has the right to contest for any post in our party elections," he said.
The Bukit Batu race is expected to be closely watched, particularly after Chiong's narrow victory in 2022 and the presence of multiple contenders seeking to unseat the incumbent.
Nevertheless, Chiong said he remained focused on the ground campaign and believed voters will once again place their trust in him.
"We will continue working hard and focus on serving the people. That is our strategy and our strength," he added.