GEORGE TOWN: Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow, who admits that there will be some disappointment over the decision not to hold state polls simultaneously with parliamentary elections, has asked supporters to understand and accept the decision.
He urged voters to move on and focus on denying any gains by Barisan Nasional and Umno in the 13 parliamentary seats in the coming polls.
Chow hoped Penang voters would understand Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) decision to hold off the state election until another time.
He said while some might be disappointed, it was a “democratic decision” made by the PH leadership.
“We urge all supporters to focus on what’s ahead of us, which is to win the general election. We don’t want BN or Umno candidates to win easily in Penang.
“Voters have to come out in great numbers to prevent a re-emergence by Umno and BN.
“We must aspire for a good turnout. It is a democratic right that should not be given up,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
Chow said the next step was for Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan to decide on a date for state polls.
On a question on incurring more costs for holding separate polls, he said that was best answered by the Election Commission, adding that political parties too have to spend more to hold separate elections.
In 2018, PH made a near-clean sweep of parliamentary seats in Penang, winning 11 out of 13 seats. Umno won the other two.
After a federal realignment in politics in early 2020, Umno’s hold was reduced to one in Kepala Batas, after the Tasek Gelugor Umno incumbent Shabudin Yahaya hopped to Bersatu.
PH also lost one of its seats in Nibong Tebal, held by PKR, with former Penang party chief Mansor Othman moving to Bersatu.
In the last Parliament, the Penang MPs consisted of seven from DAP, three from PKR, two from Bersatu and one from Umno. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.