PENANG may see changes to its state executive councillors' line-up later this month after a key member has come under investigation and another was charged in court for alleged domestic abuse.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow is expected to address the issues surrounding Deputy Chief Minister I, Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid, and state exco member for agriculture, cooperatives, and agro-based industries, Fahmi Zainol.
Mohamad is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission as part of its probe into alleged power abuse over the sale of land to the Penang Religious Council using zakat funds.
Fahmi was charged in court with one count of domestic abuse after a spat with his wife caused the latter to lodge a police report.
He has pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at RM2,000 with one surety.
The youngest state exco member at 34 was subsequently suspended by his party, PKR, from all party activities pending the settlement of the case.
Fahmi has since pleaded the notion of innocent until proven guilty and has pledged to fight all claims made against him.
He will also appeal to PKR, citing that his role as the Pantai Jerejak assemblyman is intertwined with his role in the party as a state PKR committee member.
PKR has reportedly mooted Bukit Tambun assemblyman Goh Choon Aik to replace Fahmi, and if he does it, he would become the first non - Malay to oversee the portfolio of agriculture/farming, which is usually associated with a Malay leader.
This is because 80% of farmers in Penang, particularly those cultivating rice, hail from the Bumiputra community.
Former PKR deputy secretary-general S. Raveentharan said that the party is now tested on all grounds, from a senior leader like Mohamad, a former academician, to a young upstart like Fahmi, a student leader previously with Universiti Malaya.
Both are contributing members to the party, and if they are left out of the state government, the party needs to be responsive to this matter, he said.
"We hope the charges do not stick, but how do we mediate the issue now, especially with the public perception. It does not help with speculations that the general election can be called soon," said Raveentharan.
He said that Penang, as an export-oriented state, is also under siege with the renewed conflict in the Middle East, especially with what is happening in Iran.
The last thing the state has to deal with is another round of political uncertainty, said Raveentharan. - March 4, 2026.
