GE15: Perikatan fields six new faces in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: Perikatan Nasional will field six new faces in Penang for the 15th General Election (GE15).

Among them are Bersatu's Alan Oh @ Oh Teik Choon, 46, and Gerakan's Wong Chia Zhen, 37, who will face off with former finance minister Lim Guan Eng and Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in the Bagan (P43) and Batu Kawan (P46) parliamentary seats respectively.

Oh, who is the managing director of two companies, said he was aware that the odds were stacked against him as he was facing the incumbent Lim who has the backing of vast resources.

"But I will not cower, and I will do my best to convince the constituents that I am their best choice. I am also giving the constituents a choice other than just Lim.

"I know the constituents there as I was the special chief coordinator for the housing ministry and I have helped a lot of them," he said after being introduced to the media as a candidate at the Penang Gerakan office in Macalister Road on Thursday (Nov 3).

Wong, a businessman, said being a local boy brought up in Sungai Bakap in the Batu Kawan constituency, he felt that he would be a better choice than Chow as he knows the problems faced by the constituents.

"I know this will be an uphill task but I will do my best to solve the traffic woes which have been plaguing the area for many years.

"The Pakatan Harapan MPs and assemblymen have failed to solve the traffic woes since 2008," he said.

Batu Kawan, one of the fastest-growing townships in the state, is also the seat which looks to have attracted many hopefuls – at least five people have declared their candidacy there so far.

The other new faces are PAS' Muhammad Fawwaz Mat Jan (Permatang Pauh - P44), Steven Koh Tien Yew, 41, from the Islamist party’s non-Muslim PAS Supporters Congress (Bukit Mertajam - P45), Bersatu's P. Thinagaranabhan, 41, (Bukit Gelugor - P51) and Muhammad Harris Idaham Abdul Rashid, 30 (Balik Pulau - P53).

Penang Perikatan chairman Datuk Dr Dominic Lau had earlier introduced the candidates comprising Dr Siti Mastura Mohamad, 33, from PAS (Kepala Batas - P41), Datuk Wan Saifulrudin Wan Jan, 47, from Bersatu (Tasek Gelugor - P42), Datuk Mansor Othman, 72, from Bersatu (Nibong Tebal - P47), H’ng Chee Wey, from Gerakan (Bukit Bendera - P48), H'ng Khoon Leng, 58, from Gerakan (Tanjong - P49), Datuk Baljit Singh, 56, from Gerakan (Jelutong - P50) and Oh Tong Keong, 54, from Gerakan (Bayan Baru - P50).

Lau, who is also Gerakan president, said the coalition felt that the candidates are a good mix of the young and experienced, adding that they still needed experienced candidates to help lead and teach the new faces.

"We want to give the younger generation a chance to be the country's future leaders, that is why we have so many young candidates, the youngest being 25-year-old Pang Boon Yan, who will contest the Canning state seat in Perak.

"We are hoping that Perikatan will be given the chance to lead the country, and we promise to be the 'best' government which is stable and transparent," he told reporters.

There are 13 parliamentary seats up for grabs in Penang – six on the island and seven on the mainland.

Pakatan holds 10 seats, with DAP having seven and PKR three. Perikatan and Barisan have two and one seats respectively.