Guan Eng vies for Air Putih state seat

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who will spearhead Penang DAP electoral campaign, will contest the Air Putih state constituency and state chairman Chow Kon Yeow will stand in Padang Kota state seat for the third time in the March 8 national polls.

This was unveiled when Chow announced the Penang DAP's state seat line-up at a press-conference in a packed hotel room in Georgetown on Saturday.

The line-up comprised six electoral debutants, a housewife, several lawyers and full-time politicians and a political scientist.

"The DAP is putting up the strongest credible team since 1995 to face the BN in straight fights in the coming polls.

"We hope that Penang voters would not let us down," said Guan Eng, clearly wary of the unpredictability of Penang voters.

Under its electoral pact with PKR, DAP will contest in seven federal and 19 state seats in Penang this time, thus setting straight fights for opposition candidates against BN candidates in 13 federal and 40 state constituencies in the state.

In addition, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang's son, Guan Eng, 48, will also contest the Bagan parliamentary seat on the Penang mainland.

The Penang DAP last won the Air Putih constituency in 1990 but had subsequently lost to MCA's Lye Siew Weng in three consecutive general elections since 1995.

Lye won the seat, which is under the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat, for the third time in 2004 with a 1,018 vote-majority over DAP's then relatively unknown Teh Yee Cheu, 48.

Teh, now the DAP state organising secretary, will try his luck this time against incumbent Bukit Bendera MP Chia Kwang Chye's brother Chia Loong Thye in Gerakan fortress, Tanjung Bunga, a seat won by out-going Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon for four terms since 1990.

Battle of two Yeows

DAP state secretary Danny Law Heng Kiang, 47, will be out to regain his lost seat of Batu Lanchang that he won the seat in 1999 but lost to Gerakan's Ng Fook On in the last polls.

Chow, 49, who is also seeking re-election at Tanjung federal seat for a third term, is hoping to be third time luck against his nemesis, Teng Chang Yeow from Gerakan in the "Battle of two Yeows" in Padang Kota.

He lost to Teng, a Gerakan state executive councillor in the last assembly term, by 2,254 votes in 2004.

As reported by Malaysiakini yesterday, Indian candidates have been alloted four state seats this time.

Like Guan Eng and Chow, political scientist Prof P Ramasamy, who faces Gerakan acting president Koh for the Batu Kawan parliamentary supremacy, would go for a double header in Prai state seat where he will face MIC's L Krishnan.

Newcomer Ramasamy, 58, acknowledged the task ahead of him to facing the might of BN machinery in form of Gerakan's Koh and MIC president S Samy Vellu.

"Others are having battles. I am facing a war. I will fight in both fronts till the end," said the elegant candidate.

Lawyer A Thanasekharan, 52, will battle against MIC state deputy chairman and an executive councillor in the last term, PK Subbaiyah in Bagan Dalam, while DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh's son, Jagdeep Singh Deo, 36, will return to electoral politics by contesting Datuk Keramat.

Jagdeep contested and lost to MCA's Koay Kar Huah in Seri Delima state seat on his electoral debut in 1999.

This time debutant young lawyer RS Netaji Rayer, 36, a Karpal protege, will contest the Seri Delima seat.

Guan Eng’s comeback

DAP state vice-chairman Lim Hock Seng, the out-going 60-year-old Bagan MP, will fight against MCA's Ooi Chuan Aik in Bagan Jermal seat. Hock Seng won the seat in 1986.

Incumbent assemblyperson and DAP state treasurer Phee Boon Poh, 57, will seek re-election in Sungai Puyu.

The party has lined-up Yeoh Son Hin, 32, in Paya Terubong, Koid Teng Guan, 42, in Sungai Pinang, Tan Beng Huat, 46, in Jawi and the `baby' among all Penang DAP candidates, Lau Keng Ee, 28, in Pengkalan Kota.

Among the four other newcomers, state publicity secretary Wong Hon Wai, 35, will battle in Air Itam against incumbent Cheang Chee Gooi from Gerakan, Guan Eng's political secretary Ng Wei Aik, 31, will battle against MCA veteran Lim Gim Soon in Komtar, Tan Cheong Heong, 47, will fight against MCA's incumbent assemblyperson Tan Teik Cheng in Padang Lallang, and finally housewife and personel assistant to Bukit Mertajam incumbent MP Chong Eng, Ong Kok Fooi, 43, will take on MCA state deputy chairman, incumbent Lau Chiek Tuan.

The party’s youth wing national organising secretary Koay Teng Hai, 35, will have the glamour tie of all when he faces Chief Minister-designated and Gerakan vice-president Dr Teng Hock Nan in Pulau Tikus.

This election marks the return of Guan Eng to electoral politics. He has arrived in Penang to spearhead the electoral campaign and rejuvenate the party's flagging fortune.

Lim, who was the Kota Melaka MP between 1986 and 1995, missed the previous two elections because of the automatic six-year ban from electoral politics connected to his sedition conviction in 1998.

After its heady days in the 1990 general election, in which it won six federal and 14 state seats, Penang DAP has had been on a free fall since the 1995 `Tanjung 3' debacle.

The party, despite doing well in parliamentary constituencies, it had won only one state seat in past three general elections in Penang.

The reality scenario

Rejuvenating and revitalising Penang DAP are the main reasons behind the party's move to bring along Guan Eng, and three other credible outside candidates - DAP International Affairs Bureau secretary Ramasamy, Lim's election strategy advisor Liew Chin Tong, who will contest Bukit Bendera against Gerakan secretary-general Chia, and party e-campaign director Jeff Ooi, a prominent blogger, who contest in Jelutong.

Although it was partly due to voters preference to have BN as the ruling state government, nonetheless it was to certain extent was caused by Penang DAP's own disability to sustain a strong political challenge.

Acknowledging this, Guan Eng expressed hopes that Penang electorate would support the opposition agenda to deny BN the 2/3 majority in both parliament and state legislature, and stop Umno's total political dominance.

Many in DAP may not be able to stomach another electoral trashing in Penang.

On paper at least Penang DAP should be able to retain its four federal seats in Tanjung, Bukit Gelugor, Bagan, Bukit Mertajam and win Air Putih and Prai state seats.

It has a fighting chance to retain Sungai Puyu and win Batu Kawan, Jelutong, Bagan Jermal, Bagan Dalam, Jawi, Air Itam, Paya Terubong, Komtar, Seri Delima and Batu Lanchang due to anticipated pendulum swing and anti-establishment mood of new voters.

"Realistically, we can win seven state and four federal seats," said Karpal, who will defend his Bukit Gelugor seat.

Ooi brushed aside the political term of "safe seats" in today's politics.

"All seats are up for grabs and each candidate has a fighting chance," he said.

The mood in DAP was best summed up by Guan Eng, who told Jeff Ooi and other newcomers,"Just enjoy the election campaign. Offer the electorates an alternative.”

"Hopefully the people will appreciate our credibility and vote us in," he was overheard.

Tomorrow potential contestants will officially file their nomination papers at selected Election Commission centres between 9 and 10am. This will kick off the 13-day campaign which will end with polling on March 8.

Below is the complete DAP team in Penang

PARLIAMENT

Bagan - Lim Guan Eng
Bukit Gelugor - Karpal Singh
Jelutong - Jeff Ooi
Bukit Mertajam - Chong Eng
Tanjong - Chow Kon Yeow
Bukit Bendera - Liew Chin Tong
Batu Kawan - Prof P Ramasamy

STATE

Sungai Puyu - Phee Boon Poh
Bagan Jermal - Lim Hock Seng
Bagan Dalam - A Tanasekharan
Berapit - Ong Kok Fooi
Padang Lalang - Tan Cheong Heng
Perai - Prof P Ramasamy
Jawi - Tan Beng Huat
Tanjong Bunga - Teh Yee Cheu
Air Putih - Lim Guan Eng
Pulau Tikus - Koay Teng Hai
Padang Kota - Chow Kon Yeow
Pengkalan Kota - Lau Keng Ee
Komtar - Ng Wei Aik
Datuk Keramat - Jagdeep Singh Deo
Sungai Pinang - Koid Teng Guan
Batu Lanchang - Law Heng Kiang
Seri Delima - RSN Rayer
Air Itam - Wong Hon Wai
Paya Terubong - Yeoh Soon Hin