GEORGE TOWN – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has more or less finalised its line-up for Penang’s 13 parliamentary seats, with DAP allocated seven seats to contest, PKR four and Amanah two.
Penang PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow said this at a PKR fundraising dinner here last night.
PH currently holds ten seats, while rival coalitions Barisan Nasional (BN), through Umno holds one, and Perikatan Nasional (PN), two.
Amanah will likely field candidates in the Tasek Gelugor and Kepala Batas parliamentary seats while DAP will continue to contest the Tanjong, Bukit Bendera, Bukit Gelugor, Jelutong, Bukit Mertajam, Batu Kawan and Bagan seats.
Pending the official announcement on candidates, it is learnt that Amanah may field Permatang Pasir assemblyman Muhammed Faiz Fadzil, the lawyer son of former PAS president Datuk Fadzil Noor, in either Tasek Gelugor or Kepala Batas.
PKR will defend Bayan Baru, Balik Pulau, and Permatang Pauh, and try to recapture Nibong Tebal, which was held by former Penang PKR liaison chairman Datuk Seri Mansor Othman, who had defected to PN’s Bersatu.
PH insiders told The Vibes that PKR Youth head Adam Adli Abdul Halim is among the leading contenders to contest in Nibong Tebal.
Mansor is believed to be unwell, and some say he may opt to quit politics after a career which saw him serve as Penang deputy chief minister I.
The majority of the 13 PH candidates would be the current incumbents although there are questions over who would defend the Batu Kawan, Tanjong, Balik Pulau, Bukit Bendera and Bukit Mertajam seats in view of speculated swaps or new candidates.
As for Batu Kawan, incumbent Kasthuri Patto recently announced she would be making way for a younger candidate.
Many are also waiting to see if Seberang Jaya assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin, formerly of PKR and now Bersatu member, would defend his state seat in Penang or be moved to his birth state of Selangor to contest a parliamentary seat there.
Afif was an upcoming leader in PKR before he chose to join PN in the footsteps of his political mentor Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, who is the Gombak MP, and now a Bersatu member. – The Vibes, October 23, 2022
