00:00According to an analyst, PKR Subang MP Wong Chen may have sparked some discontent among party grassroots recently,
00:09but may be hard to replace given his policy expertise and strong backing from the urban electorate.
00:15James Chin of the University of Tasmania told FMT that Subang remains a very safe seat for PKR
00:22and that the party could afford to drop Wong if it wished.
00:25However, he said Wong's contributions went beyond grassroots politics, adding that he is not easily replaceable
00:32as he is one of the few Chinese MPs actively engaged in public policy and quite popular in the Chinese urban community.
00:40He added that Wong is also well-known and active in the diplomatic community in Kuala Lumpur,
00:46which PKR might find useful especially when it needs to send someone to defend government policies internationally.
00:52Chin said Wong's recent frustration with the lack of reforms under the unity government arose from his long-time support for Rafi Z. Rumley
01:01and their shared push for change within PKR.
01:04Wong drew flag from his own party recently after voicing frustration over the government's failure to carry out meaningful institutional reforms.
01:13Last week, Subang PKR Deputy Chief Juan Hasifi Amin said Wong's remarks were inappropriate for a party MP
01:20and called for him to step down if he was no longer aligned with PKR's direction.
01:24Startsáp Kuala Lumpur
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