CROWDED AFFAIR IN PENANG
6-cornered tussle in some state seats as 186 candidates throw their hats in the ring
THE 14th General Election (GE14) looks set to be a crowded affair in Penang, with six-cornered fights in three state seats. In fact, only two parliamentary seats and one state seat will see straight fights come May 9 as nine political parties and several independent candidates threw their hats in the ring.
At the close of nomination yesterday, 186 candidates submitted their forms to contest 13 parliamentary and 40 state seats.
Barisan Nasional will be contesting all parliamentary and state seats, while PKR will be contesting 13 parliamentary and 39 state seats.
This comes in the wake of Yaakob Osman’s disqualification to contest the Penaga state seat, under the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency, as there was a record of him being declared bankrupt.
Yaakob is the younger brother of Penang Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman, who announced that he would not be contesting in this election.
The 53-year-old, however, refuted the claim that he was bankrupt, adding that he did a check last week and yesterday.
Besides Yaakob, the nomination of two other candidates, Penang Front Party’s (PFP) Wan Balkis Wan Abdullah, 62, and independent Rajendra Ammasi, 50, were rejected as both had failed to produce and declare the expenditure statement for the last general election, a requirement set by the EC.
Wan Balkis was supposed to contest the Machang Bubok state seat, while Rajendra the Bayan Baru parliamentary seat and Batu Uban state seat.
Besides BN and PKR, Pas is contesting 27 seats — seven parliamentary and 20 state seats — while independents will contest four seats.
Other parties contesting include Malaysian United Party (MU), 23 seats (five parliamentary and 18 state); Penang Front Party (PFP), 11 seats (one parliamentary and 10 state); Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM), one parliamentary and one state seat; Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), 16 state seats; Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), one state seat; and People’s Alternative Party (PAP), one state seat.
For the first time, the nomination of a Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) detainee was accepted to contest in the election in the state.
The nomination paper for S. Ragindran, an independent candidate for the Pengkalan Kota state seat, was submitted by his lawyer, Datuk Syahril Rezwan as he is currently in police lock-up.
Syahril said his client was under police remand but still intended to contest to help the people. It is learnt that Ragindran will be campaigning via social media.
Four candidates will contest both parliamentary and state seats. Among them are Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in the Bagan parliamentary seat and Air Putih state seat, and Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow in the Tanjong parliamentary seat and Padang Kota state seat.
But the eyes of observers are likely to be focused on Permatang Pauh, where PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar hopes to continue in the footsteps of her father, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and mother, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, in winning the seat.
Nurul Izzah faces two challengers: BN’s Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said and Pas’s Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden.
Three state seats under the parliamentary constituency — Seberang Jaya, Permatang Pasir and Penanti — will also see threecornered fights featuring BN, PKR and Pas.
Contesting here for the first time is PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who will be fielded in the Pantai Jerejak state seat. Rumours are rife that he would be made the deputy chief minister II if he wins.
Former Kwong Wah Yit Poh journalist Chua Cheong Wee, 49, will contest the Tanjung Bungah state seat under the Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) logo, coming up against Penang BN chairman Teng Chang Yeow, MU’s Lee Zheng Yong, and PKR’s Zairil Khir Johari.
According to Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Dr P. Sivamurugan, among the hot seats to look out for were Permatang Pauh, Balik Pulau and Bagan parliamentary seats, and Tanjung Bungah and Pantai Jerejak state seats.
“This is because all these seats involve strong personalities. For Balik Pulau, BN lost the seat in 2008 and won it in 2013 with less than 10 per cent majority. With multi-cornered fights, the pendulum can swing either way.”