GEORGE TOWN: No state Pakatan Harapan incumbents are planning to give up their seats for the upcoming state elections, says Chow Kon Yeow.
The state Pakatan chairman, however, said during the coalition meeting on Saturday (April 29), it was decided that incumbents would be free to give up their seats if they wanted to.
"Maybe it can involve swapping of seats, or maybe they want to let go of their seats here to get another seat outside of Penang.
"We can take that into account in our seat negotiations," he told reporters after the opening ceremony of Penang Wesak Celebration Day 2023 at the Malaysian Buddhist Association on Sunday (April 30).
The Penang Chief Minister said the coalition was still subject to the agreement at the national level that Pakatan and Barisan Nasional agreed that incumbents would defend their seats unless they wanted to let it go.
He said whatever discussion would be a reference at state level and the outcome of the meeting must be brought forward to the central leadership to decide.
He said the central leadership prefers the seat negotiation between Pakatan and Barisan to be finalised at state level so it would be easier for the leadership to endorse what has been finalised at the state level.
The state DAP chairman said the meeting on Saturday had determined the position of each Pakatan component party in relation to the seats they were going to contest, but any decision can only be finalised after the meeting with Barisan, which would be held this week.
On a separate matter Chow said there was no need for a debate over Penang South Islands (PSI) as the state government and its implementing partner had gone through a long and tedious process of the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.
"We have gone through that process for about seven to eight years, everyone has taken part, our focus and attention now is PSI as we want to start the work on the first man-made island of the project, which we will be announced soon," he said.
He said he believed that any contentious issue towards the project had gone through all related agencies and conditions were put up for the state government to comply.
On Saturday, Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau called on Chow to debate on the development issue of PSI and Seberang Prai.
Dominic claimed that Penangites objected to the implementation of the project even though the state government claimed that the people fully supported its implementation.
