Penang CM: Don't take rakyat for granted, we must work hard

Pakatan Harapan and DAP must not take the rakyat for granted and assume that the state's ruling coalition would retain power easily in the next general election, cautioned Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Penang Harapan, which took over the state government since the 2008 polls and won 37 out of 40 state seats in 2018 polls, must continue to work hard to ensure the coalition continues to enjoy the confidence of the public, he said.

"If the state government is seen to have failed in its role to help the people and ensure the state's economy recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, we will lose the trust of the people and we will be rejected in the upcoming general elections," he said during Penang DAP's convention today.

"DAP and Pakatan Harapan must not take for granted or assume that we are going to win easily in Penang if we are seen as failing to protect the people's interest when the state is being threatened by Covid-19," he said.

"I want to see a strong party and a strong state government that could be trusted by the people and to fight Covid-19 together," he said.

Meanwhile, Chow pointed out the importance of uniting the opposition's strength ahead of the next general election.

"This is not the time for us to regret what had happened. But this is the time for us to unite in order to create opportunity although the country is mired in political crisis," he said.

"We accept the fact that people are frustrated with the current political development in which an emergency was announced," he said.

"It's time that we must show our leadership (is capable) of uniting all political strength against the politics of betrayal and return power to the people," he said.  - Mkini