GEORGE TOWN – The victorious offspring of former state assemblymen, who are now elected representatives themselves, have big shoes to fill as they not only have to live up to their family names, but also need to carve their own legacies in the rough-and-tumble world of politics.
Among the new faces within the 40 elected representatives in the state assembly are Izhar Shah Arif Shah, whose father is former two-term Seberang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah.
Izhar caused a stunning upset in the Penang election when he upstaged Johari Kassim, his rival from Pakatan Harapan (PH), a veteran PKR member and political secretary to home minister and PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Izhar proved that being young is no hindrance to winning Seberang Jaya against an older foe if the campaign is managed and run well.
“He (Izhar) did it on his own. I just gave moral support and my blessings,” said Arif.
He relented to allow Izhar to participate in the gruelling career of politics after his eldest son swore to be better than him with serving the electorate as his ultimate aim.
Izhar admitted that he plans to do better than his father, although the latter is his role model.
“I am also inclined to serve all races. I want to be a YB for all of Seberang Jaya, not only for the voters who voted me in,” said Izhar, whose winning poster now has messages in the three main languages of Bahasa Melayu, Chinese, and Tamil.
Like his hugely popular father, Izhar can also converse in basic Hokkien and Mandarin, which he will use to his advantage.
‘It will be her own show’
PH’s winning Sg Puyu candidate Phee Syn Tze is also determined to be her own person, although she will start in the shadow of her father and DAP veteran Phee Boon Poh.
Syn Tze won with the second-biggest majority margin among the 19 DAP assembly representatives here; however, the victory means that the electorate’s expectations are high.
Boon Poh was the state representative for Bagan Jermal from 1990 to 1994 and for Sg Puyu from 2008 to 2022.
He said that he will still be around to assist, but ultimately it is his eldest daughter’s own show here.
In previous reports, Syn Tze deftly handled the narrative that she holds permanent residency in New Zealand, saying that she returned to Malaysia in 2008 because of her affinity for Penang and Malaysia.
“My family is settled in Malaysia. My husband runs a business here. I want my children to grow up here so that they will learn many languages and cultures,” she said.
The 38-year-old Syn Tze will have big shoes to fill, in view that her father was a three-term state executive councillor renowned for making Penang the first state to impose surcharges for plastic bags.
His green environmental campaign is said to be second to none in the country, and he is highly regarded by environmentalists for his stance on fighting pollution and climate change.
Son of a journalist
Another notable assemblyman is Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Wong Yuee Harng.
Among the top five DAP backbenchers with the highest majorities, Wong is the son of veteran Nanyang Siang Pau journalist Wong Soon Eng, who used to head the Penang Press Club.
Wong is believed to be the first child of a journalist to contest and win a seat in Penang.
He too wants to carve out his own reputation, but will dearly hold his father's skills in journalism and in providing a check and balance in his quest to serve his constituents and the state.
Izhar, Syn Tze, and Wong joined other children of famous parents in politics.
The trio joined the likes of Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo, who is the eldest son of the late iconic DAP leader Karpal Singh, while DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng is the son of party founder Lim Kit Siang.
Jagdeep is the representative for Datuk Keramat, and Lim for Air Putih. Both are serving their fourth consecutive terms.
“They have big shoes to fill but as long as they are sincere and work hard, they can eventually be their own man or woman in politics. They may even outshine their parents,” said Jason Ong Khan Lee, a former Kebun Bunga assemblyman whose mother was also involved in politics.
Ong said he hoped nepotism may not necessarily be a bad thing in politics, but a value-added dimension to serving the people. – The Vibes, August 21, 2023
