GEORGE TOWN – Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow has called on warring factions in the party to close the chapter on the previous state election and write a new one with the emphasis on building back ranks and delivering what the people aspire for.
The 64-year-old caretaker chief minister said that in any election, there are bound to be winners and losers, including those who are sidelined. However, it is important to pick oneself up and stay loyal to the cause – even if one is no longer a candidate.
He said that DAP’s machinery is moving well despite the apparent dissatisfaction by certain quarters in being overlooked as candidates in the 19 state seats which DAP will defend.
“I think only two politicians have decided to break ranks and contest as independents. I think they know the consequences of being expelled from DAP,” he said.
The rest, including veterans Phee Boon Poh and Chong Eng, have surrendered their campaign machinery to new candidates Phee Syn Tze and Daniel Gooi Zi Sen for the Sg Puyu and Padang Lalang seats respectively.
The new chapter now is on winning the state election on August 12 and upon receiving a fresh mandate to deliver the promises made to the electorate, Chow said.
Chow leads Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its new ally Barisan Nasional (BN) into the 15th Penang state election with 1.2 million people eligible to vote, of whom 67,633 are newly qualified voters aged between 18 and 20.
Chow was speaking to reporters before entering the nomination centre in Dewan Sri Pinang to defend the Padang Kota state seat which he has held since 2008.
Later, Chow said that this is his eighth state election and most probably his last term as chief minister if he is re-elected in Padang Kota. which he has held since 2008.
“I am grateful for my career as a political practitioner since 1990. Actually, (it was) since 1986 when I began as the political secretary to then DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang,” he added.
The state’s legislation limits a person holding the chief minister’s post to two terms. Chow became the chief minister during the last election in May 2018. – The Vibes, July 29, 2023
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