GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Harapan will continue working with Barisan Nasional in Penang, says Chow Kon Yeow.
The Penang Pakatan chairman said the state coalition leadership has decided to retain the Barisan state executive councillor (rural development, agrotechnology, food security and entrepreneurship committee chairman Datuk Rashidi Zinol) in the state administration.
He added that this was in line with the understanding reached through the electoral pact for the 2023 state election.
"Our objective is to ensure that Penang remains a stronghold for Pakatan. It is a symbol of the people's confidence that must continue to be strengthened.
"We (Penang) need to trigger a new wave that restores public confidence in Pakatan nationwide," he said during a press conference held on Saturday (Aug 8) at the Wisma DAP in Jalan Rangoon, George Town, Penang.
The announcement was made after Penang Pakatan held a meeting to receive reports from its committees as part of preparations for the next general or state election.
When asked if cooperation with Barisan would mean having to work with Perikatan Nasional in Penang later on, Chow said Pakatan's electoral pact in 2023 was only with Barisan.
"We only take note of what has been said at the national level by the Umno president and Barisan has stated that the unity government will remain until the next general election.
"That is the official position of Pakatan and Umno," he said.
Earlier, Chow said that the Penang Pakatan meeting marks the starting point for a more aggressive, organised and disciplined movement.
He said the meeting takes place at a time when the country's political landscape is becoming increasingly challenging, with an election potentially taking place at any point.
"The opposition's political manoeuvring is becoming increasingly aggressive in its efforts to win public support.
"State Pakatan must not become overly comfortable relying solely on its good track record in governance. While the government's performance is an important foundation in today's political environment, perceptions and sentiments often move faster than facts.
"If our achievements are not communicated effectively, they will not necessarily translate into support at the ballot box," he said.
Chow said they are confident that the state Pakatan still has a strong foundation with unity among the component parties being their greatest asset.
He said Pakatan have a track record in governance, having proven over the years that Pakatan is capable of governing with stability and integrity, while driving economic growth, attracting investments, creating job opportunities and implementing policies that benefit the people.
Despite this, he believes that there is still room to strengthen cooperation with the coalition parties at the next general election.
He said one way for Pakatan to do this is to take control of the narrative, including having the courage to acknowledge its own weaknesses.
"Many of our achievements have been overshadowed because we were slow to provide explanations, less aggressive in disseminating information and often allowed the opposition to determine the topics of discussion.
"We must make use of the digital space by countering racial and hate-driven political narratives effectively," he said.
Chow said the state also needs to understand the increasingly significant Undi18 voter group.
Other bigwigs present at the conference include Penang DAP chairman Steven Sim, Penang PKR chairman Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid and Penang Amanah chairman Muhammad Faiz Fadzil, among others.
