Penang PH to discuss BN’s future following Negeri Sembilan election results
GEORGE TOWN: Penang Pakatan Harapan (PH) will put Barisan Nasional’s (BN) place in the state’s Unity government on the table when its leadership meets on Aug 8, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow revealed, amid growing speculation over BN’s shifting alliances ahead of the next general or state election.
“So far, we have not discussed the issue. As I announced recently, Penang PH will be holding a meeting. Several months ago, we reactivated our preparations and announced the formation of subcommittees.
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“On Aug 8 (Saturday), as scheduled, we will receive reports from the subcommittees to coordinate preparations for the coming general election or state election, although we still do not know the dates.
“I believe the issue of Umno’s or Barisan Nasional’s position in Penang will be discussed,” he told reporters at Komtar on Monday.
He added that the meeting would also take up the question of PH’s component parties, which had won fewer seats in recent elections.
Chow was responding to questions on whether Umno would remain part of the Penang Unity government following BN’s cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the recently concluded Negeri Sembilan state election.
When asked about PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari’s remarks that the BN-PN cooperation formula could see the coalition win every state in Peninsular Malaysia, including Penang, Chow said the view was likely based on what they regarded as the success of the partnership in Negeri Sembilan.
He added that the cooperation, which focused on Malay and Muslim unity, had succeeded in winning seats there, leading them to believe the same formula could be applied in other states based on their ethnic composition.
“So, it is up to each side to decide on its own strategy to achieve victory,” he said, adding that parties were free to adopt whatever strategy they wished, but the outcome would ultimately be decided by voters.
He also said PH would continue pursuing Penang’s development agenda as an inclusive state government that provides welfare and development for all communities.
“We hope voters, regardless of race or religion, will look at the performance of the Penang state government in deciding whether to give us the mandate again in the next state or general election.”
When asked whether PH was facing declining support among voters, Chow said such conclusions were “too broad and too general”.
He said DAP-held constituencies continued to enjoy satisfactory levels of support. He added that cooperation between the two coalitions would consolidate support among their own followers but could also rally voters who opposed them.
“Whether we succeed or not, under a democratic system, it is the people who will decide.”
He stopped short of guaranteeing that the present Penang state government arrangement would remain unchanged if the next general election were called, saying: “Politics changes every day, so we have to consider every possibility.”
He also said some matters could not be answered until the appropriate time, and that any decision on the state’s political direction would be left to the Penang PH leadership and the national PH leadership.
“I alone cannot make that decision.”
