GEORGE TOWN, April 19 ― DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng will be defending his Air Putih seat for the third time in the May 9 polls.
Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who announced DAP’s candidates in the Bukit Bendera constituency, said no one else offered to contest the seat.
“DAP has chosen Lim Guan Eng to defend the seat,” he said.
Chow also announced that Zairil Khir Johari, the incumbent Bukit Bendera MP, will be fielded in a state seat this time round.
Zairil will be running in Tanjung Bungah, which was contested and won by Teh Yee Cheu in Election 2013 under the “rocket” banner.
Teh has since resigned from DAP and will be contesting in the Sungai Pinang state seat for GE14 under Parti Sosialis Malaysia, though he is not its member.
“This will be a different challenge for me but I am well versed with the local issues in Tanjung Bungah so I will be able to take on this challenge,” Zairil told reporters after the announcement.
He denied that the party’s decision to shift him from a parliamentary seat to a state seat was due to a scandal with his now fiancé and fellow DAP member Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.
Zairil said he will focus on creating more green public spaces in the hilly constituency and plant more trees.
“We just launched a pocket park here the other day so there will be more in future,” he said.
Asked if he will be up for a state executive council post if Pakatan Harapan retains the state, Zairil demurred and said his party leadership will decide on it.
“We will focus on winning first,” he said.
Lim’s political secretary Wong Hon Wai will be contesting in the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat, taking over from Zairil.
Wong is a two-term Air Itam assemblyman and formerly a state exco between 2008 and 2013.
Penang Island City Councillor Lee Chun Kit, 36, was picked to contest the Pulau Tikus state seat which was previously held by Yap Soo Huey. The latter has decided to sit out this election.
Lee who was born, bred and even landed his first job in Pulau Tikus said he is ready to take on the challenge as a first-timer.
“I am a Pulau Tikus boy so I am ready to take on my political opponent to defend the seat for DAP in a fair battle,” he said.
Lee is expected to face Gerakan’s Jason Loo. He believes voters will evaluate the candidates for the seat fairly.
