Located about 90km northwest of Kuala Lumpur, the rural parliamentary constituency of Tanjong Karang sees occasional tourists stopping by to sample its seafood.

However, many more tourists would drive further north to the popular tourist area Sekinchan.

In political terms, Tanjong Karang has a predominantly Malay electorate – not just one that is a stronghold for Umno and BN, but also where Selangor Umno chairperson Noh Omar has deep roots.

During the 14th general election, Tanjong Karang was only one of two parliamentary seats in Selangor that BN managed to win, the other being Sabak Bernam.

Once the incumbent Sabak Bernam MP Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh jumped ship to Bersatu, Tanjong Karang became BN’s last holding in Selangor until Parliament was dissolved.

Noh was first elected Tanjong Karang MP in 1995 and has since continued to hold the post, even withstanding strong anti-BN sentiments in 2018 that swept Pakatan Harapan into power. It was clear to BN and Umno that Noh holds tremendous influence in the area.

Against this backdrop and while battling the perception of being “anti-Malay”, DAP is looking to contest in...