Gerakan may field Baljit in Jelutong

GEORGE TOWN: He speaks fluent Hokkien and hangs out with many of the local Chinese. And he may be the man to take over the mantle of the Tiger of Jelutong from Karpal Singh.

Datuk Baljit Singh (pic), 52, is set to be Gerakan’s choice for the Jelutong parliamentary seat against possible DAP candidate R.S.N. Rayer.

Although the constituency is a DAP stronghold, Gerakan won the seat in the 1999 and 2004 general elections.

Sources said that incumbent two-term Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi might be dropped and be replaced by Rayer, a two-term Seri Delima assemblyman.

“I picked up Hokkien when I was studying in Penang Free School and I used to hang out with my Hokkien school friends,” Baljit said after distributing free food to the public outside the Penang Hospital here yesterday.

“Speaking Hokkien helps me communicate better with those unable to speak other languages well,” he said.

Baljit, who is Gerakan’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau head as well as Barisan Nasional coordinator for Jelutong, has represented the coalition in several cases against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the state government.

He is also holding a watching brief for the family of bully victim T. Nhaveen. Four people have been charged with the murder of Nhaveen in Jalan Kaki Bukit in Bukit Gelugor on June 9 last year.

In Alor Setar, Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong said the party would field new candidates, including from the Youth and Wanita wings in Penang.

“We will make the announcement at the right time. I must admit our performance in Penang was not up to par in the last round.

“However, the situation has changed and we are ready for the challenge,” he said yesterday.

In the last elections in 2013, the party contested 13 state seats and four parliamentary seats in Penang but lost in all.

During the press conference, Mah also handed over letters of appointment as coordinators for the state seats of Sidam and Derga to Kedah Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Cheah Soon Hai and treasurer Tan Kok Seong.

The letters of appointment were signed by Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.

Mah said the two candidates have been working the ground for the past four years and frequently raised issues close to the people’s hearts despite not being elected as representatives.

“In the last election, we lost Derga by 1,156 votes to DAP and Sidam by 5,964 votes to PKR.

“This time, I believe the hard work done by our coordinators will not go unnoticed,” he said.