Why Lim Guan Eng should call for early election in Penang
While it is a waste of taxpayer’s money to use this democratic process as a referendum on his power, delaying the state election will see a further erosion of his influence. There is no more cry of “Ubah” this time because there’s no federal government to change.
Kong Len Wei
Councillor for Majlis Perbandaran Manjung
Chairman for MCA Youth Perak Young Professionals Bureau
As a democracy, the people of this country has the privilege to elect a government of their choosing every 5 years or so. But barely 3 years have passed since the last general election and it is widely rumoured that snap elections will be called soon in Penang. The state leadership have deployed their feelers to the ground, gauging the grassroot response to this idea. Many agree having that another state win will cement DAP’s dominant position in Penang for the next 5 years. The outcome of the election will be obvious. Nobody honestly thinks BN has a remote chance of taking back the state.
By postponing their party election this year, DAP have signaled that they’re leaving every option open in the event that the Penang state assembly is dissolved. It is a defensive move by Lim Guan Eng aimed at consolidating his power in Penang. Being the Secretary-General of the party automatically allows him to continue as the Chief Minister. He also gets to call the shots on who gets to be candidate in which seat. This is more important as he gets to quell any rebellion within the party and select his own men to run in the state assembly. Any dissenting rabble-rousers will be purged from the state line-up and loyalist will be appointed into the new Exco. This new Exco will in turn see to it that all the new man-made islands, bridges, tunnels and such gets built in the next 5 years.
The other Pakatan parties in Penang have no choice but to fall in line. PAS has only one token state seat in Permatang Pasir where 25% of the voters there are Chinese. Will DAP campaign for PAS, or will they hang PAS out to dry? If Amanah does not stand in Penang, then what is Amanah’s role in the Pakatan Harapan? With the unfavourable voting trend towards Lim Guan Eng, the voters may not be too kind against the marginal seats held mostly by PKR. Given that Anwar is not around to campaign this time, how many seats will PKR lose?
Normally, elections are held when the state administration is strong and the conditions are favourable. Snap polls so early in the term is a sign of weakness. The supermajority given to DAP by the Chinese in the last general election would have been wasted. Over the last two terms, rampant development coupled with the lack of any flood mitigation implementation has left the island inundated in the recent floods. The last thing on everyone’s mind is a state election.
Lim Guan Eng is caught in a dilemma. While it is a waste of taxpayer’s money to use this democratic process as a referendum on his power, delaying the state election will see a further erosion of his influence. There is no more cry of “Ubah” this time because there’s no federal government to change. But then again, there’s also the possibility that Najib could call his bluff and dissolves Parliament as well, negating any advantage DAP gained and making sure that everyone knows this snap election is all because of one man who is adamant to cling on to power. Not only has the DAP lost the opportunity to change the federal government like they promised but they would have also handed over the federal government to Najib on a silver platter for the next 5 years.
While DAP may have some good people, some of them would be sacrificed in this state election. Therefore, Lim Guan Eng should call for snap polls soon. We are never afraid of an army of Lions led into battle by a Lamb.
