Penang Has Been Election hotspot Since 80s, Says Koh

PENANG, Dec 23 (Bernama) — Penang has been a "hotspot" at every general election since the opposition attempted to topple the Barisan Nasional (BN) government as far back as the 80s, Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said Sunday.

He said this has been the case from the time the state was helmed by former chief minister, Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, in the 80s.

Koh said the opposition DAP launched its Tanjung 1, Tanjung 2 and Tanjung 3 plans to seize control of Penang in 1986, 1990 and 1995, respectively, but was unsuccessful.

The state also faced a challenging time in the 1999 general election following the sacking of the then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from the government in October 1998, he told reporters.

"We have experienced challenging issues since the 80s and this is not something new. As such, we are always prepared and cautious when facing a general election and do not want issues or reactions to exceed the norm of moderation and be played up by any quarters," he said.

Koh was reponding to former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin's remark that the government should pay more attention to Selangor, Penang and Kedah in the next general election as they were potential "hotspots".

— BERNAMA