Penang PAS: DAP rattled, fortress breached, collapse inevitable

 

Penang, which has been under the control of DAP-Pakatan Harapan since the 2008 general election, is no longer an impregnable fortress, said state PAS chief commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff.

Comparing the results of the state elections, he noted how PAS won Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah “with style” while DAP was shaken in the northwestern state.

“Indirectly, this has opened a new chapter in Penang’s political landscape.

“The people are prepared to replace DAP and its allies with a new political bloc which is ‘clean, stable and convincing’,” he added in a statement.

In the Aug 12 polls, Perikatan Nasional came close to denying the Pakatan Harapan-BN alliance a two-thirds majority in Penang, winning 11 of the 40 seats.

Harapan was also defeated in the three state seats under the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency, once a stronghold of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

DAP won all 19 seats it contested while PKR bagged seven out of 13 and Amanah one out of two. Umno won two from the six contested.

During the 14th general election in 2008, Harapan won 37 seats.

Whereas in Kelantan, PAS won 42 of the 45 seats, in Kedah 33 out of 36 seats, and in Terengganu, a clean sweep of all 32 seats.

‘Soft approach towards corrupt Umno’

Fauzi (above) attributed the deterioration of support in Penang to the “flawed” leadership of DAP at both the federal and state levels.

“Look at how Local Government and Development Minister Nga Kor Ming openly used DAP and Harapan’s logos with the national coat of arms (on mock cheques) in an official programme to provide financial aid to Chinese schools.

“Look at their arrogance in continuing with the Penang South Island (PSI) project which will affect the marine ecosystem and livelihood of fisherfolk,” he added.

Prior to the polls, PN promised to scrap the project if it took over the state.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow

In May, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced that the project would be reduced to 931ha on a single island instead of the original three.

Meanwhile, Fauzi claimed that DAP’s “soft approach” towards certain “corrupt Umno leaders” has made the people, especially the Chinese and Indians, “nauseous”.

“It is clear that DAP’s original secular struggle for good, clean and transparent governance has been compromised with abuse of power and breach of trust,” he added.

Fauzi argued that the solution for this quagmire can be found in the “penyatuan ummah” (unity of the Muslim community) formula.

“PAS’ political theory based on the Quran, Sunnah, Ijmak and Qias is proven to be fruitful after the ‘penyatuan ummah’ formula, which was the Prophet’s (Muhammad) biggest strategy, was revived by PAS.

“Despite the initial challenges in forming an alliance with Umno but now only with Bersatu, this formula has helped PAS become the sole party with the highest number of MPs as well becoming the party which won the most seats in the state election.

“Even with Penang PN still in the phase of internal strengthening, DAP was rattled in the state election. Imagine if Penang PN is given a little more time, it is certain DAP and its allies will close shop,” it added.

PN had replicated the wave in the last general election, which saw the Malay-Muslim electorate gravitating towards the nascent coalition, in the recent state polls.

In Penang, all the 11 constituencies it won were Malay-majority seats. - Mkini