GEORGE TOWN, June 3 — All parties in the Penang Unity Government today unanimously agreed that a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) candidate will represent the coalition in the Sungai Bakap state by-election.
Penang Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the decision was made at the state Unity Government Leadership Consultative Council meeting today.
“We will contest the Sungai Bakap by-election by fielding a unity candidate. The Unity Government Leadership Council decided that Keadilan would field the candidate based on the spirit that the party which contested the seat previously be fielded again this time around.
“We will go into the by-election on the spirit of togetherness and unity that was forged in the general and state polls in Penang last year and, based on this spirit, we will try to win back the Sungai Bakap seat, which was previously held for three terms by Keadilan,” he told a media conference at Wisma DAP here today.
Chow, who is also the Penang Chief Minister, said that Penang Keadilan State Leadership Council deputy chairman Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid had been appointed the Sungai Bakap by-election director while four deputy directors from the coalition parties would be announced later.
Chow also explained that the other coalition parties, namely DAP, Umno representing Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) were not competing to field a candidate and, instead, pledged to work hard and work together to cooperate to convey the message of unity to the people, thus help wrest the Sungai Bakap state assembly seat.
The Sungai Bakap state seat is vacant following the death of its incumbent, Nor Zamri Latiff, on May 24 due to stomach inflammation.
The Election Commission (EC) will hold a special meeting on Thursday (June 6) to discuss the important dates of the Sungai Bakap state by-election.
Meanwhile, Penang Keadilan State Leadership Council chairman Nurul Izzah Anwar confirmed that the party has submitted the names of five candidates to the top leadership for a final decision.
“The important thing is that we take into account not only names that are considered very influential within the community but also those who have contributed currently and in the past,” said the Keadilan vice-president.
Also present at the meeting and media conference were state Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir, state Amanah chairman Muhammad Faiz Fadzil, state DAP secretary Lim Hui Ying and Mohamad, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister I.
In the Penang State Election (PRN) last August, Nor Zamri, who was also Nibong Tebal PAS president, defeated PH candidate Nurhidayah Che Rose with a majority of 1,563 votes.
Based on the EC record for the 2023 state polls, the Sungai Bakap state constituency has 38,409 voters, with 59.36 per cent Malays, 22.54 per cent Chinese, 17.39 per cent Indians and 0.71 per cent others.
— Bernama
