All smiles: Chua sitting on one of the giant chairs that were placed around the Batu constituency. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Passers-by along Jalan Sentul Pasar will not miss the oversized, bright yellow chairs standing about 4m tall, one of several installed around the Batu constituency.
The chairs are meant to symbolise the fact that the Dewan Rakyat belongs to the people, said Independent candidate Tian Chua.
He said the artwork – giant replicas of chairs – was meant to convey the message that the power to elect officials lies with the rakyat.
“The election process is a significant time when the people decide who to elect.
“It is a reminder that voters are the holders, shapers, and controllers of the nation’s (destiny). While we are all fighting for seats, the seats belong to the people.
“I hope the meaning of this symbol goes beyond Batu to inspire others,” he said during the installation’s unveiling yesterday.
Chua, a former Batu MP, is also used the “chair” symbol on the ballot paper for GE15.
He added that this was in line with his campaign theme of “The People’s Seat”, which sought to prioritise the Batu community’s daily problems.
He said political activist Hishamuddin Rais raised the idea for the installation, and the chairs were completed in less than a week.
The wooden pieces will be placed in eight Batu locations, including Taman Seri Murni, Bandar Baru Sentul and Jalan Kuching.
Hishamuddin said the placement of each installation was intended to mimic the shape of the Parliament building.
With less than five days of campaigning left before polling on Nov 19, Tian Chua said he hoped voters would reflect on his past work as a two-term MP.
He had previously said he was standing as an Independent candidate in the tussle for the Batu parliamentary seat because of a promise he made to voters four years ago.
Chua was the Batu MP from 2008 to 2018 but could not defend his seat in GE14 after he was disqualified on nomination day.
The Batu seat is the most keenly contested in GE15, with 10 candidates: Chua, Datuk A. Kohilan Pillay (Barisan Nasional), P. Prabakaran (Pakatan Harapan), Wan Azliana Wan Adnan (GTA-Pejuang), Naganathan Pillai or “Nathan Batu” on the ballot (Parti Warisan), Azhar Yahya (Perikatan Nasional), Mohd Zulkifli Abdul Fattah (Parti Rakyat Malaysia), and Independents Siti Kasim, Nur Fathiah Syazwana Shaharudin and Too Cheng Huat (running as Too Gao Lan).
