ELECTING the Opposition out of sympathy could have unforeseen and undesired results, Gerakan secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye said.

“The Opposition's tactic of asking for sympathy votes is dangerous as it could result in a change of government or an increase in the Opposition's majority,'' he said.

He said the Opposition, especially the DAP, had been asking voters not to let their candidates lose by too much of a majority, or to give the party more seats.

“In the end, the people have to decide if they need Oppo-sition candidates in Parliament and state assemblies just because they cakap banyk (talk a lot), or if they need leaders who actually go to the ground to be with the people and truly represent the people,” he said.

Chia, who is the Barisan Nasional candidate for Bukit Bendera, also said that candidates who did not go to the ground were not worthy of the voters' support.

“Some don't even campaign. They think they have the right to people's votes just because they are in the Opposition,” he told reporters yesterday after meeting a group of purchasers at the stalled Menara Kuda Lari housing project in Jalan Lumba Kuda.

Barisan candidate for Pulau Tikus Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan told the purchasers that that the Housing and Local Government Ministry had on Feb 24 summoned the developer, Ever Noble Sdn Bhd, which agreed to certain terms and conditions.

The developer's representative, Tham Soon Seong, said the contractor had estimated that it would take about six months to complete the project and two months more to obtain the Certificate of Fitness.

Work on the project, consisting of three 12-storey and two four-storey blocks with a total of 209 units, began in December 1994.

They were supposed to have been delivered to the buyers by 1997 but the pro-ject stalled when it was 80% completed and was abandoned in 1996.

Menara Kuda Lari Purchasers Association secretary Lim Beng Poh called on the 195 purchasers to attend a meeting at the Westlands Sports Centre of Excellence in Jalan Padang Victoria at 2pm on March 28, where the committee would explain what had transpired over the past few weeks.