Penang unlikely to be affected

GEORGE TOWN: Even if a new coalition government is formed at the federal level, Penang is unlikely to see much change in its state lineup as DAP has a stranglehold on the State Legislative Assembly with 19 seats.

However, minor changes will still be needed as Penang will be an Opposition state then.

PKR, which is the second strongest party in the state with 14 seats before yesterday, is expected to lose three of its assemblymen to the new coalition, thus creating a void in the state lineup.

It is understood that the three PKR reps aligned to Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali are Dr Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya), Dr Amar Pritpal Abdullah (Sungai Bakap) and Lee Khai Loon (Machang Bubok).

The gaps that are required to be filled are the two positions occupied by Dr Afif and Dr Amar, who are the state health, agriculture and agro-based industry and rural development committee chairman and deputy state speaker in the House respectively.

If the new coalition is formed, DAP would still be the dominant force in the state assembly with 19 seats, PKR with 11, and two each for Amanah and Umno, and a solitary seat for PAS.

The new coalition party will have five seats after the crossover of the three PKR reps.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, when contacted yesterday, said he was still waiting for instruction from the party’s leadership on the next course of action.

“I do not know of any developments and our party secretary-general is also not in Penang.

“I am also in the dark on the latest developments in Putrajaya, ” he said yesterday.

Penang was an Opposition state from 2008 to 2018 during Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s tenure.

Chow then took over the helm in Penang after Pakatan came to power in May 2018, and since then, the state has been under the ruling coalition.

In Alor Setar, the strength of the Kedah government may see a 180-degree flip under the new coalition and could command two-thirds majority of the state assembly.

The current Pakatan Harapan government commands only a one-seat majority.

Out of the 36 seats, PAS has 15, PKR with seven, Bersatu with six, Amanah with four, and two each for DAP and Umno.

All it will take for the new coalition to take over is for Bersatu (6) to team up with PAS (15) and Umno (2) to command 23 seats.

According to a political insider, PKR’s seven Kedah assemblymen are neatly split into three for Azmin, three for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and one fence sitter.

The three said to be aligned to Azmin are Azman Nasrudin (Lunas), Dr Robert Ling Kui Ee (Sidam) and Yeo Kean Chuan (Kulim).

Insiders believe those in Anwar’s camp are Datuk Johari Abdul (Gurun), Summugam Rengasamy (Bukit Selambau) and Simon Ooi Tze Ming (Bakar Arang). Suka Menanti assemblyman Datuk Zamri Yusuf is widely believed to be the fence sitter.

If the three pro-Azmin assemblymen join the new coalition, then the two-thirds majority will be surpassed with 26 seats and that might convince Zamri, who is a state exco member as well, to cross over too.

Over in Perlis, little will change under the new coalition because the Umno-PAS partnership already ensured the party commands 11 of the 15 seats in the assembly.

The rest are PKR with three seats and Bersatu with one seat.