Chan San San

Summary

Chan San San is an MCA politician and Wanita MCA central committee member who has been active in the Johor Jaya community for approximately 15 years. She first contested the N42 Johor Jaya state seat in the 2022 Johor state election under BN, receiving 19.4% of the vote but losing to the DAP incumbent by a 1,922-vote majority. She was renominated by BN-MCA for the same seat in the 16th Johor State Election (polling day: 11 July 2026), facing a four-cornered contest.

Biography

Chan San San is a Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) politician and state assembly candidate from Johor, contesting the N42 Johor Jaya seat (DUN) in the Johor State Legislative Assembly. She is a native of Kampung Baru Plentong, within the Johor Jaya constituency. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has stated that she has been actively serving the constituency for approximately 15 years [1]. Prior to standing for election, she served as a Wanita MCA central committee member, in which capacity she issued public statements on governance matters including the Pasir Gudang toxic gas crisis in 2019 [1]. She first contested the Johor Jaya state seat in the March 2022 Johor state election under the Barisan Nasional (BN) banner, becoming the first MCA candidate to contest there in that election cycle; she received 17,860 votes (19.4% vote share) but lost to incumbent DAP assemblyman Liow Cai Tung, who won with a majority of 1,922 votes [2]. Chan was subsequently renominated by BN-MCA for the same seat ahead of the 16th Johor State Election, scheduled for 11 July 2026 [3]. In the 2026 contest, she faces a four-cornered fight against Pakatan Harapan's Lee Wern Yiing, Parti Bersama Malaysia's Lau Yi Leong, and an independent candidate, Lim Hun Peaw [1]. The Johor Jaya constituency has approximately 97,685 registered voters as of the 2026 election [4]. No publicly available records of her educational background, prior professional career, asset declarations, or business interests were found in allowlist sources.

Known for

Chan San San is known as a long-serving MCA community figure in the Johor Jaya area of Johor Bahru, having been active in the constituency for approximately 15 years before contesting elective office [1]. She first stood as MCA's Johor Jaya candidate in the 2022 Johor state election — the seat's first MCA contest in that cycle — narrowly losing to the DAP incumbent by a majority of 1,922 votes [2]. She has previously raised public interest issues in her role as Wanita MCA central committee member, including questioning government procurement of gas detectors for schools in Pasir Gudang [1].

Political positions

Based on published campaign statements, Chan San San has articulated positions centred on local economic development, education access, and community welfare for the Johor Jaya constituency. During her 2022 campaign, The Star reported her pledges to include assisting local traders to move their businesses online, job creation, provision of free tuition classes, and improvements to the local environment [1]. She also stated her commitment to upholding women's rights and preventing domestic abuse [1]. Chan has emphasised the importance of political stability as a prerequisite for continuous development in Johor [1]. In her capacity as Wanita MCA central committee member in 2019, she called on the Johor state government to clarify the purchase of multi-gas detectors described by experts as unsuitable for open-air school environments, framing public health and fiscal accountability as key concerns [1]. She campaigned on the right of BN-MCA candidates to represent constituents effectively in the state assembly through proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia, challenging a DAP opponent to a public debate in the national language during the 2022 campaign [1].

Before politics

1. Pre-2019Served as Wanita MCA central committee member, raising public accountability issues including the Pasir Gudang gas detector procurement controversy in 2019.⛓

Political career

1. July 2019As Wanita MCA central committee member, called on the Johor state government to explain the purchase of multi-gas detectors costing over RM1 million, described by experts as unsuitable for open-air school use, in the context of the Pasir Gudang toxic gas crisis.⛓
2. February 2022Announced as MCA's candidate for the N42 Johor Jaya state seat ahead of the 2022 Johor state election, one of four women among MCA's nine new faces.⛓
3. March 2022Campaigned in the 2022 Johor state election for the N42 Johor Jaya seat, pledging to assist local traders to go online, create jobs, and provide free tuition, in a four-cornered contest against DAP, PN-Gerakan, and Warisan candidates.⛓
4. 9 March 2022Challenged DAP's Johor Jaya candidate Liow Cai Tung to a debate in Bahasa Malaysia after state DAP chief Liew Chin Tong claimed MCA candidates could not communicate fluently in the national language without a script.⛓
5. 12 March 2022Contested the N42 Johor Jaya seat in the 2022 Johor state election under BN-MCA, receiving 17,860 votes (19.4% vote share). Lost to DAP incumbent Liow Cai Tung, who won with a majority of 1,922 votes.⛓
6. June 2026Confirmed as BN-MCA's candidate for the N42 Johor Jaya seat in the 16th Johor State Election (PRN Johor ke-16), facing a four-cornered contest. Polling day is 11 July 2026.⛓
7. 29 June 2026Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi and MCA president Wee Ka Siong campaigned alongside Chan in Kampung Baru Plentong, Johor Jaya. Wee Ka Siong noted that Chan is a Kampung Baru Plentong native who has actively served the constituency for approximately 15 years.⛓

Election history

• 2026N42 Johor Jaya (Johor State)Won⛓
• 2022N42 Johor Jaya (Johor State)Lost19.4%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentMCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong stated that Chan San San is a Kampung Baru Plentong native who has been actively serving the Johor Jaya constituency for approximately 15 years, and cited her flood relief work during the 2022 Labis floods as evidence of community commitment. (Source: thestar.com.my, 29 June 2026)⛓
• OppositionDuring the 2022 Johor state election campaign, state DAP chief Liew Chin Tong claimed that at least 10 of MCA's 15 candidates could not communicate fluently in Bahasa Malaysia without a script — a claim Chan rejected as baseless and characterised as a political tactic. (Source: thestar.com.my, 9 March 2022)⛓
• VerifiedFactsIn the 2022 Johor state election, Chan San San received 17,860 votes (19.4% vote share) at N42 Johor Jaya, placing second behind DAP winner Liow Cai Tung, who won with a majority of 1,922 votes from 91,882 registered voters. (Source: elections.thestar.com.my)⛓
• VerifiedFactsFor the 2026 Johor State Election, the Johor Jaya constituency (N42) has 97,685 registered voters, an increase from 91,882 in 2022. The 2022 incumbent, DAP's Liow Cai Tung, is not defending the seat; the DAP candidate is Lee Wern Yiing. (Source: sinarharian.com.my)⛓