Battle-ready DAP sounds war drums
Party is all geared up to spar with Barisan Nasional in coming 13th general election.
(Free Malaysia Today) – GEORGE TOWN: DAP’s top brass to grassroots leaders and campaigners are all set to do battle with Barisan Nasional for state supremacy in the 13th general election.
They are firmly united to help Pakatan Rakyat retain Penang and capture other states, and win the ultimate prize, the Putrajaya holy grail.
The Penang DAP election machinery was launched to much fanfare yesterday at the Komtar Dome by the DAP top brass.
National chairman Karpal Singh, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow, elected representatives and grassroots leaders were all pumped up.
“We are ready for the election. The DAP and Pakatan are ready for the battle with BN,” proclaimed Karpal.
He called on his party comrades to work hard to hammer the final nails in the coffins of MCA, MIC and Gerakan in the next polls.
Referring to the 2008 general election, in which the three parties were all wiped out from Penang, he said MCA, MIC and Gerakan were now virtually dead and buried.
“Make sure that they don’t come out from their graves anymore,” said the senior parliamentarian as he rallied his troops.
He also threw a challenge to recently appointed state BN chief Teng Chang Yeow to prove his mettle by taking on either Chief Minister Guan Eng or Chow in the coming polls.
“Teng can also contest Bukit Gelugor … I’m ready to face him,” said Karpal. Teng was formerly Padang Kota assemblyman between 1995 and 2008.
He won the seat on his election debut by defeating Karpal but lost to Chow in the last election.
In the last general election, DAP won all its seven parliamentary and 19 state seats in Penang to helm the Pakatan state government.
Although many expect DAP-led Pakatan to retain Chinese-majority Penang, some observers predicted the victory would not as big as 2008.
Pakatan now has 29 seats against BN 11 in the state assembly.
Beware of BN’s tricks
Even Lim in his speech indicated that the next general election would be tougher than the previous one.
He called party members not to underestimate their opponent, reminding them that BN was capable of coming up with ‘magical tricks’ to regain Penang.
At least one-third of the state’s 40 state constituencies are considered “hot spots.”
Lim predicted the next election to be held at least by July as the country would be affected badly by the expected European economic downturn in six months’ time.
