IT WILL be tough for Gerakan to wrest Penang away from DAP in the upcoming state election as Pakatan Harapan (PH) still has the support from a majority of non-Malays in the state, political pundits said.

They told The Malaysian Insight that Perikatan Nasional party components such as Bersatu and PAS may make some inroads in Malay seats but not Gerakan with non-Malay seats.

They argued that the Chinese particularly are comfortable with the DAP government in Penang which has been administering the state since 2008.

Dr Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Gerakan may find it hard to convince the non-Malays to support the party even if they try to tarnish DAP’s reputation for working with Umno/Barisan Nasional after the recent general election.

The academic said the public, especially PH supporters, understand the need to cooperate with BN.

“To demonise DAP which now is part of the unity government with BN, won’t get much traction. The Chinese understand the need to work with BN at the federal level.

“Gerakan won’t find it easy to win the non-Malay seats,” he said.

He however said PN may win some seats in Malay areas, especially in Seberang Perai in the mainland.

“In Seberang Perai, PAS and Bersatu can win seats but Gerakan has no base there as the party usually contests in the island part of the state,” he added.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insight, Gerakan president Dominic Lau said the party, even though it failed to win a single seat in the 2018 and recent general election (GE), has “the concept, strategy and talent” to rule Penang again.

He believes the time is now ripe for the party to knock DAP off the pedestal and take over the state again.

Lau said the party has to convince the people of their ability and capability before they head to the forthcoming state elections which could be held sometime in the middle of the year.

Another observer, Dr Oh Ei Sun of Pacific Research Center of Malaysia, also played down Lau’s dream.

Stating facts, Oh said that more than half of the seats in Penang are non-Malay majority seats which Gerakan has less than zero chance of winning.

“He dreams big. Hopefully his dreams are grounded in reality. As I understand it, more than half of the state seats in Penang are of the non-Malay majority, which Gerakan has less than zero chance of winning.

“Even if PAS wins all the Malay majority seats, it is still not enough to form a state government,” said Oh.

Lau’s ambition also caught the attention of Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy who said Gerakan’s aim of winning back Penang from the hands of PH in the coming state elections will not happen.

“We were responsible for ousting Gerakan’s dominance in Penang about 15 years ago.

“Given the racially and religiously polarised atmosphere, I really wonder whether Lau is hallucinating,” Ramasamy said in a statement.

Penang is one of six states in the peninsula that did not dissolve their state assembly and have their state elections coincide with the GE. The other five are Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.

These states must hold their polls by September this year. –  January 23, 2023.