No ‘outside’ candidates if snap polls in Penang

(The Sun Daily) – DAP said it will not field parachute candidates in the event of a snap election in Penang.

Stating this to refute talk that the party will parachute national leaders to contest should a snap election be held, DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke said all its candidates will be picked from the current state liaison committee, Oriental Daily News reported today.

He said DAP, having led the state government for two terms, has groomed many leaders in the state, and there is no room for parachute candidates.

This is in contrast with 2008 when DAP, going into the March 28 general election with just one seat in Penang, needed a strongman to lead its charge in the state, he said, adding that the move paid off.

Speaking to the daily, Loke said in the worst case scenario if Lim Guan Eng is disqualified from holding the chief minister’s post, Lim’s replacement will surely be picked from among the state representatives and not a parachuted candidate.

Speculation is rife that should a snap election be called, DAP’s central leadership will parachute its heavyweights as candidates to take over from Lim should he become incapacitated. Loke and publicity secretary Tony Pua are among the names being bandied about.

Loke said people have asked if he had changed his voting address to be ready to contest in Penang, but he discounted any such possibility.

On the corruption charges against Lim, Loke said DAP had three options: for Lim take leave; keep the status quo or leave it to Penangites to decide (snap election).

He said if Lim takes leave, he would be falling into Barisan Nasional’s trap as the state government would become unstable.

But if Lim does not take leave, he will come under a lot of pressure through the court of public opinion, he said.

“We (DAP) feel that the best thing is to leave it to the people to decide, whether they support the state government led by Lim Guan Eng.”