Battle for control: A motorist riding past Pakatan and Perikatan flags along the road in Permatang Damar Laut, George Town. — KT GOH/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: The battle has reached the final stretch.
Five days from now, voters will decide who will form the governments in Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu.
More than a week has gone by since nomination day on July 29, and the momentum is gaining pace as candidates go all out to woo voters via ceramah, house visits or social media.
In Penang, the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional coalition believes there is still plenty of work to be done in the final lap.
“We’re only at the halfway mark. Work is yet to be complete.
“As a matter of fact, we have to double our efforts to convince voters that the unity government is the right choice for Penang,” said caretaker Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
“We believe our unity manifesto with 16 main themes will enhance our economy, boost the people’s quality of life, and (lead to) socio-economic growth.”
The state Pakatan chairman added that the unity government’s target of grabbing between 30 and 32 seats in Penang was a realistic goal.
Chow is defending the Padang Kota seat he first won in 2008. He has been endorsed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the Penang chief minister-designate and also assured by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke that he will serve a full second term if he gets re-elected and the Pakatan-Barisan pact forms the state government.
The coalition is contesting all 40 seats in the state with DAP vying for 19, PKR 13, Umno six and Amanah two.
As for Perikatan Nasional, it is also standing in all seats with Gerakan taking 19, PAS 10 and Bersatu 11.
In the breakdown of constituencies, Penang island has 19 seats while the mainland has 21.
On the mainland, 11 are Malay-majority constituencies while on the island, there are four such seats.
For DAP, it has a proud 100% record to maintain in the state, after having won all the 19 seats it has contested since 2008.
One of the most closely-watched seats is Sungai Dua on the mainland, which falls under the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary constituency.
It will see Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Shaik Hussein Mydin taking on Penang PAS commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff in a straight fight.
The Bertam seat, under the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency, will witness another close match with former housing and local government minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican of Umno meeting incumbent Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq of Bersatu.
The remaining 13 Malay-dominated areas in Penaga, Pinang Tunggal, Permatang Berangan, Teluk Ayer Tawar, Penanti, Seberang Jaya, Permatang Pasir, Sungai Bakap, Sungai Acheh, all on the mainland, and Batu Maung, Pulau Betong, Telok Bahang and Bayan Lepas on the island, should also be keenly contested this Saturday.
Typically a Malay-majority area, the fight for the Bayan Lepas seat became more intriguing the moment Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau decided to throw his hat into the ring.
“It has been quite tough on the first lap of campaigning but I’m happy with the response from the villagers in Bayan Lepas,” he said.
“There will be no let-up in work in these coming few days.
“I have to explain to them our manifesto and my future plans for this constituency.
“I sincerely hope voters here will be wise and give me a chance to serve them for a term.”
Facing off against the incumbent Azrul Mahathir Aziz of Amanah, it’s anybody’s guess how the PAS votes will go here.
The constituency came under the spotlight even before nomination day when the area’s PAS members protested against Lau’s proposed candidacy, saying that they had been doing much of the work there in preparation for the election.
Lau is contesting in this election on the Perikatan ticket, as Gerakan is part of the coalition that includes PAS and Bersatu.
Meanwhile, the Bagan Dalam and Perai seats on the mainland have also emerged as hot seats, all because two DAP newcomers – K. Kumaran and Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu – are doing battle against their former comrades in Satees Muniandy and David Marshel, respectively.
Both Satees and Marshel resigned from DAP after they were unhappy with the party’s selection of candidates, and are now fighting as Independents.
The other candidates in Bagan Dalam are S. Rajasakanan (PFP) and K. Jayaraman (Perikatan) while two others also contesting in Perai are R. Sivasuntaram (Perikatan) and H. Vikneswary (Muda).
A total of 95 candidates, including four Independents, are contesting the 40 seats in the Penang state polls.
