Who is Harapan's pick for Penang CM? - Gerakan counters Kit Siang
Gerakan president Dominic Lau has challenged Pakatan Harapan to reveal its candidate for Penang chief minister for the upcoming state election.
He said this after DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang questioned whether Lau will be Perikatan Nasional’s chief minister-designate for the state, and whether the Gerakan leader will be able to stand up to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
Lau (above, left) replied by saying he appreciated Lim’s concern, but the latter should first clarify if the incumbent chief minister Chow Kon Yeow will be reappointed to his post.
He pointed to earlier media reports claiming that some within DAP were lobbying for Lim’s son and party chairperson Lim Guan Eng to make a comeback as chief minister.
“Despite the quick denials from DAP’s top leadership including from Guan Eng himself, to date, neither Chow nor Guan Eng has revealed who will be the next Penang chief minister.
“Since Kit Siang thinks it is important to determine who the next Penang chief minister will be, it is only appropriate to announce who will be Pakatan Harapan's candidate for Penang chief minister following the election.
“After all, DAP is the ruling government in Penang,” Lau said in a statement today.
DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng and Penang CM Chow Kon Yeow
He added that PN has been preparing for the election despite lacking the federal government’s resources and multiple setbacks, and it simply did not have time to delve into the specifics of the coalition’s chief minister-designate.
During the Penang PN Convention on Saturday, Lau explicitly stated that the coalition's priority is first securing control of the state before determining the chief minister.
People first
He said both PN and Gerakan are people-centric political entities, where positions of power are never the primary consideration.
“For PN and Gerakan, the priority lies in resolving the Penang people’s issues, such as prohibiting hillside development and deforestation as these are the primary causes of floods, tackling land reclamation problems, addressing water supply issues, improving transportation on Penang Island, and addressing the cost of living and economic challenges.
“We are not DAP because Gerakan will not cooperate with political rivals who have criticised them for years just for the sake of holding positions of power.
“Gerakan will not bring a retired former prime minister back into the political arena just to secure political power, nor will they show excessive deference to the former prime minister, even after winning 40 parliamentary seats in the previous general election. A certain DAP minister even helped the prime minister hold a microphone,” he said.
Lau also chided DAP for supposedly becoming complicit with Umno, using wordplay to suggest that the biggest difference between PN and Harapan is that PN rejects corruption/Umno whereas Harapan supports it.
The Penang state assembly is slated to be dissolved on June 28, paving the way for a state election to be held within 60 days alongside elections in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan.
Lau had previously announced plans to contest in one of the state constituencies in Seberang Perai.
He added that PN has been preparing for the election despite lacking the federal government’s resources and multiple setbacks, and it simply did not have time to delve into the specifics of the coalition’s chief minister-designate.
During the Penang PN Convention on Saturday, Lau explicitly stated that the coalition's priority is first securing control of the state before determining the chief minister.
People first
He said both PN and Gerakan are people-centric political entities, where positions of power are never the primary consideration.
“For PN and Gerakan, the priority lies in resolving the Penang people’s issues, such as prohibiting hillside development and deforestation as these are the primary causes of floods, tackling land reclamation problems, addressing water supply issues, improving transportation on Penang Island, and addressing the cost of living and economic challenges.
“We are not DAP because Gerakan will not cooperate with political rivals who have criticised them for years just for the sake of holding positions of power.
“Gerakan will not bring a retired former prime minister back into the political arena just to secure political power, nor will they show excessive deference to the former prime minister, even after winning 40 parliamentary seats in the previous general election. A certain DAP minister even helped the prime minister hold a microphone,” he said.
Lau also chided DAP for supposedly becoming complicit with Umno, using wordplay to suggest that the biggest difference between PN and Harapan is that PN rejects corruption/Umno whereas Harapan supports it.
The Penang state assembly is slated to be dissolved on June 28, paving the way for a state election to be held within 60 days alongside elections in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan.
Lau had previously announced plans to contest in one of the state constituencies in Seberang Perai.
Lim Guan Eng absolutely should Not return as Penang Chief Minister, especially with the corruption trial still hanging over his head.
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