AS Barisan Nasional (BN) and its lynchpin party Umno regroup and rebrand themselves as opposition parties at the national level, Penang BN will have to work as an opposition outside the state legislative assembly.

It had hoped to strengthen its line-up of 10 reps in the Pakatan Harapan-dominated House but ended up losing more seats and its most experienced assemblymen in GE14, leaving only two reps.

Former Penang BN executive secretary Azizi Safar said playing opposition in the state assembly was only one way to provide checks and balances.

“BN will check the state government from outside the assembly. We will continue to raise issues… we just hope we won’t get sued.

“The state assembly sits only twice a year… we get only 14 to 20 days a year in the House,” said Azizi, an Umno political observer familiar with the inner workings of Penang BN.

PH dominates the 40-seat state legislative assembly with 37 lawmakers from DAP, PKR, Bersatu and Amanah. In GE13, PH won 30 seats while BN won 10.

After the May 9 polls, BN’s two reps left standing are two-term Sungai Dua assemblyman Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor and Permatang Berangan assemblyman Nor Hafizah Othman, a newcomer. The only other opposition rep is Penaga’s Yusni Mat Piah from PAS.

Yusoff, the most senior of the three opposition backbenchers, said no decision has been made on whether he would take on the opposition leader post, which would also come with the responsibility of state Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman.

Penang Gerakan Youth leader Jason Loo, who was slapped with defamation suits by former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng over statements he made while raising some land issues, also said he intended to raise issues whenever necessary for the next five years.

Loo, who was BN’s candidate for the Pulau Tikus state seat, said the job would be “very tough” and it was hard not to feel discouraged when BN lost so many seats, with Gerakan failing to regain any, but they could not simply give up.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in a recent interview with Malaysia Decides said BN must not give up even though they only had two seats.

He said in the past, DAP had to be the opposition with only one assemblyman in Penang.

“It is difficult to be the opposition. Trust me. We know. DAP never gave up.

“BN should change their mindset and method of operation, take up some people’s issues, and provide check and balance. They will regain the people’s support,” he said.

The next state legislative assembly sitting is expected in early August. – May 24, 2018.