GEORGE TOWN – The Penang leadership of Pakatan Harapan (PH) has accepted the coalition presidential council’s decision to reject its lobbying over the past few days for state assembly polls to be held during the upcoming 15th general election (GE15).
Chief minister and DAP vice-president Chow Kon Yeow said that the state will accept the decision made as it is part of PH’s aspirations.
With this, Penang will hold its legislative election separately from the federal election for the first time in its electoral history since independence.
He said that Penang understands and will now stand with Selangor and Negri Sembilan, which are also ruled by PH, in holding their respective elections later.
Chow said that he believes the three states will hold their elections at the same time, although the actual date has yet to be fixed.
The three states’ 14th electoral term will lapse in the middle of next year.
“I now call on everyone in PH to focus on the parliamentary election, with 13 seats to defend (in Penang) and win,” said Chow after witnessing the handover of a mock cheque by Greatech Group to the Suria Special Care Centre at Sg Ara here.
The ceremony was witnessed by the state welfare association president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai, formerly Intel Malaysia’s managing director.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke had earlier today announced the PH presidential council’s decision that Penang, as a PH-led state government, should stick to the coalition’s decision not to dissolve state assemblies under its control for GE15.
Loke said he knew the decision would be disappointing but had to be made, or PH would be seen to have flipped on its stand for all its states not to dissolve their legislative assemblies this year.
Chow said that Penang will want a reasonably high voter turnout for its parliamentary election in the interest of championing democracy.
One of the main reasons cited in wanting a simultaneous election was not to inconvenience voters, including those outstation who would have to travel back twice to cast their ballot papers.
There has been concern that some voters would shun the process if it is troublesome.
To this, Chow replied that the state will encourage every voter to participate in the democratic exercise and support PH’s goal to deny Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) any footing in the 13 parliament seats.
Rival coalitions BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) hold three of the 13 parliamentary seats in Penang.
In another development, PH unveiled its successes in governing Penang, Selangor, and Negri Sembilan at a dinner here two days ago.
In a closed-door fundraising dinner, the three states’ chief executives spoke of their governments’ achievements despite the global economic worries and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, his Negri Sembilan counterpart Aminuddin Harun, and Chow highlighted what PH has done in terms of luring investments and creating quality jobs.
Also present were PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR’s Bukit Tengah assemblyman Gooi Hsiao Leung, and PKR’s Penang state executive councillor Datuk Abdul Halim Hussein. – The Vibes, October 15, 2022
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