Liou Chen Kuang is a Malaysian politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and businessman of Chinese descent

Malaysian Chinese

Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...

 from Machap Baru

Machap Baru

Machap Baru is a small town in Alor Gajah District, Malacca. This town is famous among Malaysian and Singaporean tourists for its restaurants, which serve exotic game, such as wild boar, deer, monitor lizards and snakes...

 in Malacca

Malacca

Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...

 state. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party

Democratic Action Party

The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...

 (DAP) and was the party's losing candidate for the Malacca State Legislative Assembly seat of Machap in the 2004 General Elections

Malaysian general election, 2004

General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...

. In the 2004 election, the late Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam

Poh Ah Tiam

Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam was a Malaysian politician, businessman and community leader of Chinese descent. Poh was born in Kampung Belimbing, near Durian Tunggal, Malacca...

 of the Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...

 (BN) defeated him by a majority of 4,562 votes.

Despite the loss, on March 30, 2007, the DAP announced Liou will again contest for the party in the 2007 Machap by-election

Machap by-election, 2007

The 2007 Machap by-election was held on April 12, 2007. The seat in the state assembly of Malacca, Malaysia, fell vacant after the incumbent, Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam of the Malaysian Chinese Association , died on 15 March that year. On March 21, 2007, the Election Commission of Malaysia announced...

 due to his "knowledge of the local terrain", grassroots

Grassroots

A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...

support, and his willingness "to serve Machap constituents”. Liou was eventually defeated, but by a marginally smaller majority.