PAKATAN Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) have unofficially won enough seats to form the Penang government following the results of the state election.
Caretaker Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said that based on official and unofficial results, the PH and BN have successfully won 29 out of 40 seats as of 10.15pm today.
“Following the results, we have also managed to secure a two-thirds majority in Penang,” he told a crowd at the Unity Gathering at St Giles The Wembley.
Chow said DAP in PH won all 19 seats it contested.
“The seats are Sungai Puyu, Bagan Jermal, Bagan Dalam, Berapit, Padang Lalang, Perai, Jawi, Tanjong Bunga, Air Putih, Pulau Tikus, Padang Kota, Komtar, Datok Keramat, Sungai Pinang, Batu Lancang, Seri Delima, Air Itam and Paya Terubong.
“Our comrades, PKR, won the Kebun Bunga, Batu Uban, Pantai Jerejak, Batu Maung, Machang Bubuk, Bukit Tengah, and Bukit Tambun seats.
“Amanah also grabbed the Bayan Lepas seat.
“Meanwhile, BN won the Bertam and Sungai Acheh seats,” Chow said.
Celebrating the win on stage were the PH-BN coalition leaders – DAP veteran leader Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, DAP deputy secretary-general Liew Chin Tong, Penang State Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir, state PKR deputy chairman Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, state Amanah chairman Dr Roslan Ahmad, and other key leaders.
Chow said the PH-BN managed to achieve its target.
“We have been very realistic with the target we set.
“We know that the political changes are real and they are encroaching on our support.
“This must be acknowledged and addressed by the unity coalition government. We must reach out to the people, and discover why they are unhappy.
“Definitely, we will not rest on our laurels. We will analyse our performance and take the necessary action to address the matter.
“This is a national matter and is now a state issue,” he added.
Chow said he would be sworn in as the Penang Chief Minister tomorrow (Aug 13).
“A big thank you to all the voters, supporters, candidates, and media practitioners for journeying with us throughout this election period.
“The road ahead is still full of challenges, and we must strive to do our best for the state and the people. We must also improve on our weaknesses,” he added.
Chow said the state executive council (exco) line-up would be discussed in due time.
Meanwhile, Musa said although BN won only two out of the six seats contested, they would never give up but continue to fight.
He said BN accepted the decision of the voters and would review why they were rejected by the voters.
He also thanked Chow for giving a lot of support to BN candidates, and in return, he pledged that the two victorious BN candidates would give their full support to the state unity government.
Muhammad Bakhtiar also said PKR would also conduct a post-mortem after winning seven out of 13 seats contested.
“We lost in mostly Malay majority areas. This is a lesson for us.
“Our political rival played a lot on sentiments, which had influenced, particularly, the young voters.
“We did not have sufficient time to counter that,” Muhammad Bakhtiar said.
Chants of ‘Kita Penang, Kita Boleh’ filled the air after Chow’s victory announcement.