Chow plays down report on PH losing Penang supermajority

 Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow says the projection of Pakatan Harapan winning only 23 out of 40 state seats is merely a worst-case scenario.

Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said every party must consider the possibility that no single entity may be able to form the government on its own. (Johnshen Lee pic)

GEORGE TOWN:

 Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow has played down a news report claiming that Pakatan Harapan may lose its two-thirds majority in the state assembly at the next election based on internal estimates.

Asked about the report by Singapore’s Straits Times (ST), which cited senior DAP figures, Chow said he did not know who conducted the research.

When pressed further about the estimate that PH may only win 23 of 40 seats in the next state polls, the DAP leader brushed it off, saying elections are ultimately “a numbers game”.

“So you are probably just looking at the worst-case scenario,” he told reporters after attending Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre’s anniversary celebration here.

According to ST, there is growing concern within DAP over whether dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s federal government could affect PH’s standing in Penang.

Citing internal estimates provided by senior DAP figures, the report said PH was likely to lose its two-thirds majority in Penang. It also said DAP could lose its unbeaten streak in some of the 19 state seats it has held since 2008.

The report added that local issues such as water tariff and quit rent increases, as well as the public spat between Chow and his predecessor Lim Guan Eng, are factors that could affect support for DAP at the polls.

The unity alliance currently holds 29 of the 40 seats in the Penang assembly, with PH holding 27 and Barisan Nasional two. A two-thirds majority is achieved with 27 seats, while a simple majority is reached at 21.

DAP and its allies have governed Penang since 2008, when the then Pakatan Rakyat coalition first wrested the state from BN.

PH and BN contested as allies for the first time ever in six state elections in August 2023, including in Penang.

Asked whether PH would have to form new alliances for the next Penang state election, Chow said it was too early to tell.

He nonetheless said every party would have to consider the possibility that no single entity may be able to form the government on its own.

“So it is likely that a post-election coalition may also be formed.” - FMT