Who can take on Penang’s 'James Bond'?

NOT many media people were able to make it to the Penang DAP media night but the party leaders who attended lived up to the movie-themed dinner.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow turned up in a tuxedo and those present only caught on that “James Bond” had arrived when he drew out his gun or rather a piece of wood in the shape of a weapon.

It was quite a cute moment.

But the costume of the night belonged to “Phua Chu Kang” aka Phee Boon Poh.

Phee, who is Sungai Puyu assemblyman and a state exco member, looked perfect in his curly wig, shirt dangling over his trousers and the famous yellow boots.

Moreover, Phee, like Puah Chu Kang, is a Mr Fix-it kind of man and his team had been among the first to help out in Baling the day after the big floods.

Relations between the Chief Minister’s office and the media have improved thanks to Chow’s personality and political style.

He regards the media as a “strategic partner” and this has percolated down to his staff unlike in previous years when a press secretary was allowed to issue arrogant press statements littered with sarcastic and even nasty remarks about the press.

Chow, unlike secret agent 007, does not have a licence to kill but his chief rival, Barisan Nasional, is still searching high and low for a chief minister candidate.

Barisan election chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who is on a countrywide tour to ramp up the election machinery, told a recent Penang gathering that it was not impossible to defeat DAP.

But he was stumped when asked to name a potential chief minister candidate.

Sin Chew Daily took it a step further and asked in a blazing red headline: “Will there be a Malay CM in Penang this round?”

It is evident the Chinese media in Penang does not regard any of the current Chinese leaders in Barisan or Perikatan Nasional to be up to par.

“Should Barisan announce a Malay CM candidate it will have repercussions for the coalition not only in Penang, but elsewhere in the country,” said Sin Chew Daily columnist Jeff Ooi, who was recently named Penang Warisan chairman.

The opposition will go to town that the Chinese are being bullied by Umno.

“That will be the silver bullet the opposition is looking for,” said Ooi.

It would be like the Penang government’s south island reclamation scheme which affects a few hundred Malay fishermen but is perceived among Malays as the DAP-led government not caring for the Malay community.

How crucial is it to have a chief minister candidate?

After all, Pakatan Harapan swept to power in so many states in 2018 without committing to who would be in charge.

But those were whirlwind victories. Voters then were so fed-up that they were willing to go for broke whereas Chow’s government is currently in a sort of comfort zone.

It is not terribly outstanding but it is not bogged down by controversies with the exception of the undersea tunnel scandal which has damaged DAP’s image.

However, the undersea tunnel debacle is not Chow’s baby but that of the former chief minister.

The chief minister post, said a Penang lawyer, will always be an issue for the Chinese each and every election.

Penang MCA chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng ought to have been the choice by virtue of his position.

He is down-to-earth, connects well with the common people and even opposition supporters seek him out for help. His humble beginnings denied him the opportunity of education but his son is a lawyer.

He is the typical grassroots type of leader whom the intelligentsia often mock as “longkang politicians” because they love being photographed pointing and peering at drains and potholes, but ordinary voters actually like this type of politician.

On the other hand, Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau was recently named Perikatan Nasional chairman for Penang, placing him front and centre as the chief minister candidate.

On paper, Lau has the qualifications to be chief minister. He has a PhD, is a certified Blue Ocean Strategy consultant and has done well in his field.

But he has zero political acumen and Gerakan, which used to attract well-educated and moderate people, has been eclipsed by PKR, the only genuinely multi-racial party in the country.

“Political power in Penang is still very much about what the Chinese want. Things could be better but my take is that the Chinese will go for the status quo, change is not on their mind.

“Do they want another Lim Guan Eng? I think they will go with Chow. He has been able to hold the fort and keep things going, he is not divisive or nasty,” said a wealthy industrialist from Penang.

Most important of all, racial tensions in Penang have cooled down under Chow’s tenure, which is an achievement in these divided times.

And that is what the chief minister aspirants out there ought to take note of.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.