PENANG Pakatan Harapan (PH) prefers to have state elections in the middle of this year and is hoping for better clarity on the timing of the state polls, said its chairman Chow Kon Yeow.

He said there should not be a guessing game for when state polls are held and assembly dissolved. He urged for the dissolution to be announced earlier than usual.

“A certainty in terms of the date of the state elections will help stabilise the political environment,” he told Bernama after distributing mandarin oranges in conjunction with Chinese New Year in George Town today. 

Chow said PH’s preparations for the state polls are ongoing and yesterday the coalition met to discuss the matter, including the date for the elections and its cooperation with Barisan Nasional (BN). 

“(In the meeting, we) decided we would prefer the elections to be held in the middle of the year … May, June or July. But this is subject to bigger consideration by central PH,” said Chow, who is also Penang chief minister. 

Six states – Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu – have to hold their elections this year. 

On cooperating with BN in the state polls, Chow said Penang PH is waiting for a directive from central PH leaders.

Chow said the good showing by Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the general election has worried other political parties. 

He claimed most of the Malay electorate had rejected Umno in the general election and voted for PN instead of PH, and that all parties need to consider their election strategies for this year.

He said the performance of the federal unity government in its first six months will impact the outcome of the state polls. – Bernama, January 16, 2023.