GEORGE TOWN – DAP seems to have opted to play safe in Penang despite speculation it is orchestrating “surgical changes” to its parliamentary candidate line-up in the state.
The party’s leadership has maintained the status quo for four of the seven federal seats it holds in the state.
The four retained are R.S.N. Rayer (Jelutong), Ramkarpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor), Steven Sim Chee Keong (Bukit Mertajam), and chairman Lim Guan Eng (Bagan).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow will contest Batu Kawan on the mainland after having served as MP for Tanjong for four terms.
Lim Hui Ying, younger sister of Guan Eng, will stand in Tanjong, while Seri Delima assemblyman Syerleena Abdul Rashid will run for the Bukit Bendera federal seat.
Hui Ying will relinquish her senatorship as a result of her selection in Tanjong.
Tanjong used to be held by her father Lim Kit Siang from 1986 to 1999.
Interestingly, Chow’s move to vie for Batu Kawan was preceded by Kasthuriraani Patto – the seat’s MP since 2013 – who announced on October 20 that she did not want to defend the seat so as to make way for future leaders.
She also cited her preference to work on another platform to champion her human rights struggle.
Incidentally, the last chief minister to contest Batu Kawan, Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, ended up losing in the 2008 election.
One other interesting development is the impending return of Wong Hon Wai to state politics after he was persuaded to make way for Syerleena in Bukit Bendera.
Wong is a former political aide to Guan Eng and also a former state executive councillor. Insiders within the party see him as a possible chief ministerial choice after Chow completes his second term.
Presently, Chow is in his first term as the state’s fifth chief minister.
Insiders also shared with The Vibes that a temporary compromise was reached with Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy, who is now the assemblyman for Prai.
It was speculated that Ramasamy had been asked to move to Parliament after he completes his current third term as deputy chief minister.
The seven candidates were announced today by party secretary-general Anthony Loke in conjunction with the state Pakatan Harapan’s motor expedition.
A total of 170 vehicles would travel around the state throughout the coming general election to help drum up support for the coalition.
Loke assured those present that a consensus was reached at both the state and national levels, so there should not be any dispute over the selection of candidates here. – The Vibes, October 30, 2022
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