GEORGE TOWN – Emerging victorious at the Penang DAP party elections yesterday and garnering the fifth spot in terms of number of votes came as a surprise for state chapter vice-chairman Zairil Khir Johari.
Zairil said that he was very grateful to be chosen as a committee member, and that his victory reflected good teamwork among all 15 state party committee members.
“I did have a little hope to win – but to be the candidate who gets the most votes, that was not my personal target,” he told The Vibes.
“However, this victory also proves that my efforts during these three years were worth it.
“It is also a team victory for DAP, so that we can always be united to face the next challenge, which is the 15th general election (GE15).”
Zairil received 920 votes and was elected as the state DAP vice-chairman for the third term.
The number of delegates who voted this year was more than double compared to the 2018 state party elections: 1,608 against 793.
Asked if he was campaigning all out, Zairil explained that he was merely carrying out his duties as an elected representative, which includes meeting grassroots members.
“There is no special campaign. I’m just carrying out my duties as usual, and it gives me the opportunity to meet various parties,” he said.
Zairil – who is also Tanjung Bungah state assemblyman and chairman of the state infrastructure and transport committee – said that he would continue his vision to help strengthen the party’s machinery ahead of GE15.
In the 2018 state party elections, he failed to emerge among the top 15, receiving just 328 votes. – The Vibes, March 22, 2021
