Make or break for Gerakan in Penang
Tough task but Barisan is aiming to make a dent in Opposition strongholds
PENANG has been an Opposition fortress for two terms and Barisan Nasional knows capturing the “Pearl of the Orient” is an uphill task.
Penang Barisan chairman Teng Chang Yeow’s immediate goal is to deny Pakatan a two-thirds majority since they only need to win another four seats to do so.
They have 10 out of the 40 seats in the state assembly.
However, if the party receives a drubbing like it did in 2008 and 2013, it may be game over for Teng, the Penang Gerakan chairman.
“If I don’t make it this time, 2018 will be my last press conference.
“Dr Lim and Dr Koh were much
younger than me when they became chief ministers,” said Teng who is already 54.
Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu held the post when he was 50 in 1969 and his successor Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon was 51 when he was appointed in 1990.
If Gerakan wins some seats, it will be a shot in the arm for Teng, who was in the running for the chief minister’s post in the 2008 general election when Dr Koh opted to contest the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat, but lost to DAP’s Dr P. Ramasamy.
In GE12 and GE13, Gerakan and MCA ended up without any seats. Umno won 11 state seats in 2008 and 10 in 2013.
DAP won all 19 of the 40 seats it contested in the last general election. The party also won all seven parliamentary seats it contested out of the 13 parliamentary seats in the state.
PKR won 10 of the 15 state seats and three of the four parliamentary seats it contested. PAS won one of the six state seats it contested and lost in two parliamentary seats. PAS is no longer with Pakatan Harapan.
Umno, meanwhile, contested 15 state seats and won 10. Of the five parliamentary seats, it won three. Overall, Pakatan Rakyat won 30 of the 40 state seats and 10 of the 13 parliamentary seats.
Asked to comment on the likely Barisan performance in GE14, Teng took a dig at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng by saying, he was not a tokong to make predictions but would leave it to God.
Guan Eng is often called tokong (deity) in the state after the word was used by former Penang deputy chief minister Datuk Mansor Othman to refer to the Chief Minister possibly as an arrogant and cocky leader, in a leaked conversation at an internal PKR meeting in 2012.
The redelineation exercise has not affected Penang except in Kepala Batas and Balik Pulau which had their electoral borders amended but there are no changes in the number of voters there. The number of voters in Penang increased by 31.6% from 659,155 to 867,748.
Gerakan announced its list of parliamentary and state seat coordinators in February 2017 but some may not be fielded.
A question remains on whether Jelutong parliamentary coordinator, lawyer Datuk Baljit Singh, who speaks fluent Hokkien and who always wears Singh@Jelutong T-shirt during his constituency rounds would be fielded there.
He is well-prepared for a Singh vs Singh clash to see who will be the king in Jelutong. If he is fielded, he could be up against fellow lawyer and Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh, who is said to be keen in contesting in his late father Karpal Singh’s constituency.
Although Karpal was called the Tiger of Jelutong, he was defeated there in 1999. He moved to Bukit Gelugor when the new seat was created in 2004.
DAP leaders are entering the election strong but are cautious. The party has been hit hard over various issues such as hillslope development, floods, over-development on the island, land reclamation and the proposed undersea tunnel linking the island and mainland.
Former Datuk Keramat assemblyman Lim Boo Chang, who is with the Malaysian United Party (MUP), is expected to join the election, as are representatives of other smaller parties such as Penang
Dr Lim and Dr Koh were much younger than me when they became chief ministers. Teng Chang Yeow
Front Party and People’s Alternative Party. But facing the “giants” of Barisan and Pakatan, candidates from these smaller parties are not likely to do well, and may well lose their deposits.
Just like Barisan which has been rolling out projects around the country, the Penang government is also initiating many such projects, such as allocations for the upgrading and replacement of water storage tanks as well as new roofing for low and medium-cost housing schemes.
There are even free haircuts. The pictures of Ayer Itam assemblyman Wong Hon Wai and Ramkarpal have been featured in a banner of such an event to be held at the Desa Mawar low-medium cost scheme in Bandar Baru Ayer Itam on April 12.
Of all the hot seats in Penang, the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency, which has been held by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s family for 36 years, is one which Barisan wants to win badly.
PKR leaders want Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to defend the seat but there is talk that her daughter Nurul Izzah, 38, the two-term Lembah Pantai MP, might contest there.
Lembah Pantai is said to be no longer safe for her after the redelineation exercise. And it is unlikely that PKR would pick a non-family member to contest the seat.
Another seat to watch out for will be Penanti, which is helmed by PKR assemblyman Dr Norlela Ariffin.
She has been at loggerheads with Guan Eng over allocations for her constituency as well as other issues for about three years.
Dr Norlela’s hometown is Kajang, Selangor, which is also represented by Dr Wan Azizah. There is talk that Dr Norlela may be fielded in Kajang instead.
Penanti, Seberang Jaya and Permatang Pasir are the three state seats under Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency.
Seberang Jaya assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin, who is also a state exco member, is expected to defend the seat on behalf of PKR.
PAS, which held the Permatang Pasir state seat for over two decades, is planning to contest the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat and all the three state seats, pitting it against PKR and Barisan Nasional.
Umno dominates north Seberang Prai while PKR and DAP are strong in the central and southern districts.
Five of PKR’s 10 assemblymen, dubbed the “PKR Five” who abstained from a motion on land reclamation tabled by a Barisan assemblyman in the state assembly in November 2015, have issues with Guan Eng.
It remains to be seen whether they will be retained or dropped. One of them is Kebun Bunga assemblyman Cheah Kah Peng of PKR, who has been sidelined by Guan Eng over his alleged poor performance.
Umno is hoping for a victory, among others in Batu Maung and Seberang Jaya seats which are held by PKR leaders.
Dr Koh, who still has some influence in Penang, will hit the campaign trail in support of Gerakan, said Teng.
If the party is voted out again, it may mark the end of Gerakan in Penang with Umno possibly staking claim for the chief minister’s post in the next general election.
This is one fight which will make or break Gerakan in Penang.