Gerakan wants to win first before Penang CM-ship talk

INTERVIEW | Perikatan Nasional has decided not to name a nominee for chief minister of Penang in order to avoid internal conflict, said Gerakan president Dominic Lau.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Lau said Gerakan had gone through this conflict in 2008 and was warned by coalition allies against repeating it.

"At the time, there were Gerakan leaders who were fighting over the chief minister's post before people voted for a government.

"This (is now) a taboo. We don't want to repeat it. I will not announce a nominee. We will obtain the mandate from the people first then talk," he said.

Prior to the 2008 election, then-Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon was preparing to step down as chief minister, prompting a tussle between four aspiring nominees - Teng Hock Nan, Lee Kah Choon, Chia Kwang Chye and Teng Chang Yeow.

In that election, every Gerakan candidate in Penang failed to win a seat, marking the start of the party's decline.

To a question, Lau said the PN leadership has hitherto not discussed its nominee.

Conversely, DAP has endorsed Chow Kon Yeow, the incumbent, for chief ministership.

Penang is not main goal

Despite the decision to field most of Gerakan's candidates in Penang, Lau surprisingly opined that this state was the last on PN's priority list.

"Our (strategy) is 'retain three, win three'. We want to retain the three states of Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah. Then, we will take over the other three.

"Among the three states we aim to win, Selangor ranks first, followed by Negeri Sembilan and only then Penang," he said.

Penang was once a Gerakan stronghold and the party had led its state government from 1969 until 2008.

(From left) PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and Lau

This election will see Gerakan fielding the bulk of its candidates - 19 out of 36 - in Penang.

Lau said survey findings have suggested that although PN was making gains among non-Malays, including in Penang, a PN victory was still challenging.

Empty promises

Lau, who is a Penang native, said voters need to consider all the broken promises by the state governments since 2008.

"In Penang, they promise a lot but do little. There is still traffic jam, insufficient drinking water and people can't afford houses.

"The Penang government doesn't serve Penangites. They serve foreigners. Why? Because only foreigners can afford property in Penang.

"In 15 years, they did not do anything. (Conversely) we are the ones who will deliver," said Lau.

Lau cited the example of how DAP's promise of abolishing the Sungai Nyior toll plaza on the Butterworth Outer Ring Road had remained unfulfilled since 2008.

"They have reached a dead end. They can't deliver; they only know how to reclaim land.

"We have a vast land on the mainland. Instead of developing it, they choose to reclaim land (off the island). I believe everyone knows the reason behind it," he said.

Previously, the state government said it could not abolish the Sungai Nyior toll plaza because it was under the federal government’s jurisdiction.

However, the state government set up Jalan Bagan 29 in 2012 as an alternative route for locals to bypass the toll booth.

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This is the second article in a three-part series. The original article in Chinese can be accessed here. - Mkini