FMT:
Maverick Teh unfazed by Guan Eng in battle for Air Putih
The former DAP assemblyman, who is contesting under the Parti Rakyat Malaysia banner, says the party chairman has been neglecting his constituents for far too long.
PRM candidate Teh Yee Cheu said Lim Guan Eng has overlooked the constituents in Air Putih and focused too much on his Bagan parliamentary seat.
GEORGE TOWN: Teh Yee Cheu stands out as a maverick and a vocal advocate for good governance and environmental concerns.
It is not surprising then that the former DAP member was criticised within party circles for going against the directives of the DAP leadership
In 2013, when hill land on the island was stripped, Teh, the then Tanjung Bungah assemblyman, took a bold stance, publicly shaving his head in protest and holding his government accountable.
He was the only assemblyman to ride a bicycle throughout Penang, even to the state assembly.
Once a DAP life member, Teh, now 65, left to head Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s (PRM) state chapter a few years ago.
He has now set his sights on winning the Air Putih seat in tomorrow’s state election, pitting himself against three-term assemblyman and former chief minister Lim Guan Eng.
The Air Putih seat holds a sentimental value for Teh, as he lost it narrowly in 2004 to an MCA candidate. He continued serving the constituents there, but in 2008, had to yield to Lim, who had just forayed into Penang politics.
Moving forward to today, Teh said: “Those who don’t know who to vote for, or find both the Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional coalitions troubling, can vote us in.”
He claimed that feedback from voters showed that Lim had overlooked his constituents and had focused more on his Bagan parliamentary constituency in Butterworth.
“Guan Eng is already in Parliament, let him talk in Parliament, fight for Penang from there. Voting me in will enable me to help audit the performance of the PH government in the state,” he told FMT.
Teh said if elected, he would set up parks for qiqong and tai chi practice to cater to the substantial population of elderly residents in the constituency.
He said they constituted around 80% of the 15,000-odd voters but had been subject to long-standing neglect.
“For 15 years, nothing much has been done, even when he (Lim) was chief minister. They could have at least created a mini botanical garden or a social space for them,” he said.
Teh also pledged to create a track encircling Penang Hill – encompassing Kek Lok Si Temple the Air Itam Dam and several smaller temples – to promote tourism via a “heritage trail”.
He said residents still recalled his performance when he was an assemblyman under DAP.
“I admit that some of the voters here are hardcore DAP supporters, but they know me. I am hardworking and able to serve them personally.
“More importantly, a majority of the older folk know what PRM is, for we were a force to be reckoned with in Penang in the 1950s to the 1970s,” he said.
Over the past three terms, Lim has secured Air Putih by big margins. In 2018, he received an almost 8,000-vote majority, securing more than 85% of the ballot and easily swatting away the challenge of three opponents.
In tomorrow’s contest, Teh will face off against Lim and PN’s Ivan Koh. The total number of eligible voters stands at 15,371, an increase of nearly 1,900 from 2018, after the voting age was reduced to 18.
Air Putih consists of 80% Chinese, 9.8% Malay, and 8.7% Indian residents, based on 2018 data.
GEORGE TOWN: Teh Yee Cheu stands out as a maverick and a vocal advocate for good governance and environmental concerns.
It is not surprising then that the former DAP member was criticised within party circles for going against the directives of the DAP leadership
In 2013, when hill land on the island was stripped, Teh, the then Tanjung Bungah assemblyman, took a bold stance, publicly shaving his head in protest and holding his government accountable.
He was the only assemblyman to ride a bicycle throughout Penang, even to the state assembly.
Once a DAP life member, Teh, now 65, left to head Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s (PRM) state chapter a few years ago.
He has now set his sights on winning the Air Putih seat in tomorrow’s state election, pitting himself against three-term assemblyman and former chief minister Lim Guan Eng.
The Air Putih seat holds a sentimental value for Teh, as he lost it narrowly in 2004 to an MCA candidate. He continued serving the constituents there, but in 2008, had to yield to Lim, who had just forayed into Penang politics.
Moving forward to today, Teh said: “Those who don’t know who to vote for, or find both the Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional coalitions troubling, can vote us in.”
He claimed that feedback from voters showed that Lim had overlooked his constituents and had focused more on his Bagan parliamentary constituency in Butterworth.
“Guan Eng is already in Parliament, let him talk in Parliament, fight for Penang from there. Voting me in will enable me to help audit the performance of the PH government in the state,” he told FMT.
Teh said if elected, he would set up parks for qiqong and tai chi practice to cater to the substantial population of elderly residents in the constituency.
He said they constituted around 80% of the 15,000-odd voters but had been subject to long-standing neglect.
“For 15 years, nothing much has been done, even when he (Lim) was chief minister. They could have at least created a mini botanical garden or a social space for them,” he said.
Teh also pledged to create a track encircling Penang Hill – encompassing Kek Lok Si Temple the Air Itam Dam and several smaller temples – to promote tourism via a “heritage trail”.
He said residents still recalled his performance when he was an assemblyman under DAP.
“I admit that some of the voters here are hardcore DAP supporters, but they know me. I am hardworking and able to serve them personally.
“More importantly, a majority of the older folk know what PRM is, for we were a force to be reckoned with in Penang in the 1950s to the 1970s,” he said.
Over the past three terms, Lim has secured Air Putih by big margins. In 2018, he received an almost 8,000-vote majority, securing more than 85% of the ballot and easily swatting away the challenge of three opponents.
In tomorrow’s contest, Teh will face off against Lim and PN’s Ivan Koh. The total number of eligible voters stands at 15,371, an increase of nearly 1,900 from 2018, after the voting age was reduced to 18.
Air Putih consists of 80% Chinese, 9.8% Malay, and 8.7% Indian residents, based on 2018 data.
Time for voters to send "Emperor" into well-deserved retirement.... But it may be a futile effort.
ReplyDeletetoo many Myrmidons
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