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Penang state election, 2018

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40 seats to the Penang State Legislative Assembly 21 seats needed for a majority
Registered	945,627
Turnout	800,158
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Lim Guan Eng Teng Chang Yeow Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff Party Pakatan Harapan (DAP) Barisan Nasional (Gerakan) Gagasan Sejahtera (PAS) Leader since 2008 Leader's seat Air Putih Tanjong Bunga (lost) Permatang Pasir (lost) Last election 29 seats, 62.43% (Pakatan Rakyat) 10 seats, 32.09% 1 seat, 5.10% (Pakatan Rakyat) Seats before 29 10 1 Seats won 37 2 1 Seat change 8 8 Popular vote 530,008 176,723 77,171 Percentage 67.20% 22.41% 9.78% Swing 4.77% 9.68% 4.68%
Pakatan Harapan seats:   DAP   PKR   Bersatu   Amanah Opposition seats:   UMNO   PAS
Chief Minister before election Lim Guan Eng Pakatan Harapan (DAP) Elected Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow Pakatan Harapan (DAP)

The 14th Penang election was held on 9 May 2018 to elect the State Assemblymen of the 14th Penang State Legislative Assembly, the legislature of the Malaysian state of Penang.^[1] The legislature had been dissolved on 9 April by the state's Governor, Abdul Rahman Abbas, on the advice of the then Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who also led the state's ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.^[2]

The election was conducted by the Malaysian Election Commission and utilised the first-past-the-post system. Electoral candidates were nominated on 28 April.^[1] On 9 May, between 8.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. Malaysian time (UTC+8), polling was held in all 40 state constituencies throughout Penang; each constituency elects a single State Assemblyman to the state legislature.

The PH coalition retained power with a stronger mandate, as it swept eight additional constituencies to hold 37 seats (out of 40) in the Penang State Legislative Assembly; the PH thus commands a supermajority in the legislature.^[3] Following the simultaneous Malaysian general election, which saw the PH forming Malaysia's federal government for the first time in the country's history, Chow Kon Yeow was selected as Penang's fifth Chief Minister, succeeding Lim who was appointed as the federal Minister of Finance.^[4][5]

Background

Journalists awaiting the arrival of the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, at The Residency (the official residence of the Governor of Penang) in George Town on 9 April 2018 for the dissolution of the Penang State Legislative Assembly.^[6]

The upcoming state election will be the 14th state election in the State of Penang since the independence of Malaya (now Malaysia) in 1957. The governing Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition sought to secure their third consecutive term in office since 2008.

According to the Constitution of the State of Penang, the maximum term of the Penang State Legislative Assembly, the legislature of Penang, is five years from the date of the first sitting of Assembly following a state election, after which it is dissolved by operation of law.^[7] The Assembly would have been automatically dissolved on 28 June 2018, the fifth anniversary of its first sitting on 28 June 2013.^[8]

However, the Chief Minister, as the head of government in Penang, may advise the Governor, the head of state, to dissolve the Assembly before the five-year period is up. Following the dissolution of the Malaysian Parliament by the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, on 7 April 2018, the Chief Minister of Penang at the time, Lim Guan Eng, was granted the consent of the Governor of Penang, Abdul Rahman Abbas, on 9 April to dissolve the Assembly.^[9][2][6]

A state election must be held within sixty days after the dissolution. Accordingly, the Malaysian Election Commission set 28 April as the nomination day and 9 May as the polling day.^[1] The timing of the election, which was to be held on a weekday as opposed to the usual practice of holding elections on weekends, sparked outrage on social media.^[10]

Political parties

The Pakatan Harapan (PH), the ruling coalition in Penang, has been in power since 2008 and was led by the then Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. In the aftermath of the 2013 state election, the PH controlled 29 out of the 40 seats in the Penang State Legislative Assembly.

The PH was challenged by two opposition coalitions, Barisan Nasional (BN) and Gagasan Sejahtera (GS), as well as a number of individual independent parties.^[11] The BN and GS coalitions were led by Teng Chang Yeow and Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff respectively.^[12][13]

Coalition			Other parties
Incumbent	Opposition
Pakatan Harapan (PH)	Barisan Nasional (BN)	Gagasan Sejahtera (GS)	Malaysian United Party (MUP)[14] Penang Front Party (PFP)[15] Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM)
Democratic Action Party (DAP) People's Justice Party (PKR) Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) National Trust Party (Amanah)	United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)	Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) Love Malaysia Party (PCM) People's Alternative Party (PAP)[16]

Electoral divisions

All 40 state constituencies within Penang, which constitute the Penang State Legislative Assembly, were contested during the election. The Malaysian Election Commission utilised the updated electoral roll as of the fourth quarter of 2017; voters who had registered by the end of 2017 were therefore eligible for polling.^[17] Penang had a total of 945,627 voters as of April 2018^[update].^[18]

Tanjong Bunga Air Putih Kebun Bunga Pulau Tikus Padang Kota Pengkalan Kota Komtar Datok Keramat Sungai Pinang Batu Lancang Seri Delima Air Itam Paya Terubong Batu Uban Pantai Jerejak Batu Maung Bayan Lepas Pulau Betong Telok Bahang Penaga Pinang Tunggal Bertam Telok Ayer Tawar Sungai Dua Permatang Berangan Sungai Puyu Bagan Jermal Bagan Dalam Perai Seberang Jaya Permatang Pasir Penanti Bukit Tengah Padang Lalang Berapit Machang Bubuk Bukit Tambun Jawi Sungai Bakap Sungai Acheh BUKIT BENDERA TANJONG JELUTONG BUKIT GELUGOR BAYAN BARU BALIK PULAU KEPALA BATAS TASEK GELUGOR BAGAN PERMATANG PAUH BUKIT MERTAJAM BATU KAWAN NIBONG TEBAL Penang Strait (North Channel) Penang Strait (South Channel) Malacca Strait Malacca Strait Kedah Perak

The state constituencies of Penang (in blue) as of 2013. Unlike most other states in the Peninsular, Penang was unaffected by the Malaysian Election Commission's redelineation exercise prior to the 14th Malaysian general election.[19][20]   DAP-controlled seats   PKR-controlled seats   UMNO-controlled seats   PAS-controlled seats

Electoral candidates

By 27 April 2018, 471 nomination forms for Penang's state constituencies had been sold by the Malaysian Election Commission, making this election the most hotly-contested election in Penang's history.^[21] A total of 155 candidates vied for the 40 state constituencies.

Area	State constituency	Incumbent State Assemblyman	Number of voters[18]	Candidate[22]
				PH	BN	GS	Ind
Seberang Perai	Penaga	Mohd Zain Ahmad (BN)	19,089	-	Mohd Zain Ahmad (UMNO)	Mohd Yusni Mat Piah (PAS)	-
	Bertam	Shariful Azhar Othman (BN)	18,378	Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq (Bersatu)	Shariful Azhar Othman (UMNO)	Moktar Ramly (PAS)	-
	Pinang Tunggal	Roslan Saidin (BN)	23,056	Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman (PKR)	Roslan Saidin (UMNO)	Bukhori Ghazali (PAS)	-
	Permatang Berangan	Omar Abd Hamid (BN)	21,120	Mohd Shariff Omar (Bersatu)	Nor Hafizah Othman (UMNO)	Mohd Sobri Saleh (PAS)	Azman Shah Othman (PRM)
	Sungai Dua	Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor (BN)	20,558	Yusri Isahak (Amanah)	Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor (UMNO)	Zahadi Hj. Mohd (PAS)	-
	Telok Ayer Tawar	Jahara Hamid (BN)	19,172	Mustafa Kamal Ahmad (PKR)	Zamri Che Ros (UMNO)	Mohamad Hanif Haron (PAS)	Lee Thian Hong (PRM)
	Sungai Puyu	Phee Boon Poh (PH)	27,671	Phee Boon Poh (DAP)	Lim Hai Song (MCA)	-	Tan Lay Hock (PRM)
							Ong Yin Yin (PFP)
							Neoh Bok Keng (MUP)
	Bagan Jermal	Lim Hock Seng (PH)	25,621	Soon Lip Chee (DAP)	Ang Chor Keong (MCA)	-	Teoh Chai Deng (PRM)
							Fabian George Albart (PFP)
							Hari Devydrai (MUP)
	Bagan Dalam	Tanasekharan Autherapady (PH)	18,291	Satees Muniandy (DAP)	Dhinagaran Jayabalan (MIC)	-	Teoh Huck Ping (PRM)
							Teoh Uat Lye (MUP)
							Jasper Ooi Zong Han (PFP)
	Seberang Jaya	Afif Bahardin (PH)	35,541	Afif Bahardin (PKR)	Abu Bakar Sidekh Zainul Abidin (UMNO)	Ahmad Rafaei Rashid (PAS)	-
	Permatang Pasir	Mohd Salleh Man (GS)	24,811	Faiz Fadzil (Amanah)	Anuar Faisal Yahaya (UMNO)	Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff (PAS)	-
	Penanti	Norlela Ariffin (PH)	21,437	Norlela Ariffin (PKR)	Suhaimi Sabudin (UMNO)	Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (PAS)	-
	Berapit	Ong Kok Fooi (PH)	23,779	Heng Lee Lee (DAP)	Goh Swee Gim (MCA)	-	Song Chee Meng (PRM)
							Lee Poh Kong (PFP)
	Machang Bubuk	Lee Khai Loon (PH)	37,260	Lee Khai Loon (PKR)	Tan Teik Cheng (Gerakan)	Jamil Abdul Rahman (PAS)	Tang Ah Ba (PRM)
							Lim Jhun Hou (MUP)
	Padang Lalang	Chong Eng (PH)	27,959	Chong Eng (DAP)	Kuan Hin Yeep (MCA)	-	Lai Yean Nee (PRM)
							Liew Ee Jin (PFP)
	Perai	Ramasamy Palanisamy (PH)	17,032	Ramasamy Palanisamy (DAP)	Suresh Muniandy (MIC)	Asoghan Govindaraju (PAP)	Samuganathan Muniandy (PRM)
							Patrick Ooi Khar Giap (PFP)
							Isumary Retnam
	Bukit Tengah	Ong Chin Wen (PH)	22,276	Gooi Hsiao-Leung (PKR)	Thor Teong Gee (Gerakan)	Norazman Ishak (PAS)	Tan Hiang Lye (PRM)
							Joseph Edward (PFP)
	Bukit Tambun	Law Choo Kiang (PH)	26,086	Goh Choon Aik (PKR)	Hartini Tan Abdullah (Gerakan)	Kumaravelu Arumugam (PAS)	Goh Bee Koon (PRM)
							Ong Seong Lu (PFP)
	Jawi	Soon Lip Chee (PH)	26,699	H’ng Mooi Lye (DAP)	Kiew Hen Chong (MCA)	Tan Beng Huat (PAP)	Tan Chew Suan (PRM)
							Koay Xing Boon (MUP)
							Daphne Edward (PFP)
	Sungai Bakap	Maktar Shapee (PH)	26,666	Amar Pritpal Abdullah (PKR)	Mohamed Sani Bakar (UMNO)	Osman Jaafar (PAS)	Tan Chow Kang (PRM)
	Sungai Acheh	Mahmud Zakaria (BN)	20,018	Zulkifli Ibrahim (PKR)	Mahmud Zakaria (UMNO)	Nor Zamri Latiff (PAS)	-
Penang Island	Tanjong Bunga	Teh Yee Cheu (PH)	21,768	Zairil Khir Johari (DAP)	Teng Chang Yeow (Gerakan)	-	Chua Cheong Wee (PRM)
							Lee Zheng Yong (MUP)
	Air Putih	Lim Guan Eng (PH)	13,509	Lim Guan Eng (DAP)	Tang Heap Seng (MCA)	Manikandan Ramayah (PCM)	Tan Gim Theam (MUP)
	Kebun Bunga	Cheah Kah Peng (PH)	21,369	Ong Khan Lee (PKR)	Ooi Zhi Yi (Gerakan)	-	Wu Kai Min (MUP)
	Pulau Tikus	Yap Soo Huey (PH)	18,423	Chris Lee Chun Kit (DAP)	Loo Jieh Sheng (Gerakan)	-	Wee Kean Wai (MUP)
	Padang Kota	Chow Kon Yeow (PH)	14,476	Chow Kon Yeow (DAP)	H'ng Khoon Leng (Gerakan)	-	Goh Saik Wei (MUP)
	Pengkalan Kota	Lau Keng Ee (PH)	20,069	Gooi Zi Sen (DAP)	Lim Swee Bok (MCA)	-	Chew Seng Tung (PRM)
							Koay Teng Lye (MUP)
							Ragindran Sivasamy
	Komtar	Teh Lai Heng (PH)	15,041	Teh Lai Heng (DAP)	Tan Hing Teik (MCA)	-	Ong Chun Jiet (MUP)
	Datok Keramat	Jagdeep Singh Deo (PH)	22,630	Jagdeep Singh Deo (DAP)	Lee Boon Ten (Gerakan)	-	Nicholas Diane Morgan (PFP)
							Lim Boo Chang (MUP)
							Muhammad Majnun Abdul Wahab
	Sungai Pinang	Lim Siew Khim (PH)	26,917	Lim Siew Khim (DAP)	Ng Fook On (Gerakan)	Yacoob Omar (PAS)	Teh Yee Cheu (PSM)
							Tan Sim Bee (MUP)
							Mohamed Yacoob Mohamed Noor
	Batu Lancang	Law Heng Kiang (PH)	27,444	Ong Ah Teong (DAP)	Koo Pei Chee (Gerakan)	-	Kee Lean Ee (MUP)
	Seri Delima	RSN Rayer (PH)	25,232	Syerleena Abdul Rashid (DAP)	Khoo Kay Teong (MCA)	-	Tan Yang Yung (MUP)
	Air Itam	Wong Hon Wai (PH)	19,622	Joseph Ng Soon Seong (DAP)	Tan Kah Leong (Gerakan)	-	Kang Teik Woi (MUP)
	Paya Terubong	Yeoh Soon Hin (PH)	46,741	Yeoh Soon Hin (DAP)	Wong Chin Chong (MCA)	-	Kuan Aun Wan (MUP)
	Batu Uban	Jayabalan Thambyappa (PH)	31,924	Kumaresan Aramugam (PKR)	Hng Chee Wey (Gerakan)	Vikneswaran Muniandy (PAS)	Teoh Kean Liang (PFP)
							Teoh Kok Siang (MUP)
	Pantai Jerejak	Mohd Rashid Hasnon (PH)	23,646	Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR)	Oh Tong Keong (Gerakan)	Mohd Farhan Yusri (PAS)	Yim Boon Leong (MUP)
	Batu Maung	Abdul Malik Abdul Kassim (PH)	35,210	Abdul Halim Hussain (PKR)	Liakat Ali Mohamed Ali (UMNO)	Saiful Lizan Md Yusuf (PAS)	-
	Bayan Lepas	Nordin Ahmad (BN)	26,570	Azrul Mahathir Aziz (Amanah)	Rusli Hashim (UMNO)	Zarina Shinta Madar (PAS)	-
	Pulau Betong	Muhamad Farid Saad (BN)	18,177	Mohd Tuah Ismail (PKR)	Muhamad Farid Saad (UMNO)	Muhd Taufik Hashim (PAS)	Yeoh Cheng Huat (PRM)
	Telok Bahang	Shah Haedan Ayoob Hussain Shah (BN)	14,339	Zolkifly Md Lazim (Bersatu)	Shah Haedan Ayoob Hussain Shah (UMNO)	Mohd Ali Othman (PAS)	-

Timeline

Pre-nomination events

Date	Event
29 October 2017	Tanjong Bunga State Assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu states his intention to quit the Democratic Action Party (DAP) prior to the upcoming election.[24] Teh later announces that he will contest in the Sungai Pinang constituency as an independent candidate under the banner of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM).[25]
16 January 2018	Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a component party of the Barisan Nasional (BN), reveals that it will contest in 10 of the state seats.[26]
4 February 2018	Permatang Pasir State Assemblyman Mohd Salleh Man is dropped out as an election candidate by the leadership of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).[27]
11 March 2018	Pakatan Harapan (PH) announces the final seat allocation among its four component parties during a rally at the Esplanade in George Town.[28]
14 March 2018	Pulau Tikus State Assemblyman Yap Soo Huey announces that she will not defend her constituency in the upcoming election.[29]
20 March 2018	BN kicks off its campaign by indiscriminately pasting anti-PH posters throughout George Town.[30] The move is condemned by, among others, Tenaga Nasional and the Penang Island City Council, with the latter removing all the posters within the same day.[31][32][33] BN is subsequently fined RM13,448 by the city council for the illegal pasting of politically-charged material.[34]
28 March 2018	The Malaysian Parliament approves the redelineation of electoral constituencies, which was conducted by the Malaysian Election Commission.[35] Penang is unaffected by the redelineation exercise.[19][20]
	One of the two Deputy Chief Ministers of Penang and Pantai Jerejak State Assemblyman, Mohd Rashid Hasnon, confirms that he will be relocated out of the state to Johor for the upcoming elections.[36]
9 April 2018	The Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, declares the dissolution of the Penang State Legislative Assembly, after obtaining the consent of the Governor of Penang, Abdul Rahman Abbas.[2][6]
10 April 2018	The Malaysian Election Commission sets 28 April as the nomination day and 9 May as the polling day; this provides for a minimum campaigning period of 11 days.[1]
	Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) states that it will be contesting in 18 of the state constituencies in Penang, and announces its candidates for the 18 seats.[37][38]
12 April 2018	DAP announces that Chong Eng is retained for the Padang Lalang constituency, whilst Heng Lee Lee will be making her political debut in Berapit, replacing the latter's incumbent Ong Kok Fooi.[39]
	The Malaysian Prime Minister and BN chairman, Najib Razak, tells voters in Balik Pulau to vote for BN, or get "nothing" if PH still retains Penang.[40] Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng subsequently slams Najib's ultimatum, stating that it is tantamount to "a threat to the country's democratic system".[41]
14 April 2018	National Trust Party (Amanah), a component party of the PH, reveals its candidates for the three state constituencies it is contesting, namely Bayan Lepas, Permatang Pasir and Sungai Dua.[42]
15 April 2018	BN unveils its Penang-specific manifesto during an event in Seberang Jaya.[43]
16 April 2018	Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu), a component party of the PH, announces its candidates for the four state constituencies it is contesting, namely Bertam, Penaga, Permatang Berangan and Telok Bahang.[44] However, the candidate for Penaga, Yaakob Osman, is disqualified on nomination day due to his bankruptcy issues.[45]
19 April 2018	DAP candidates for Tanjong Bunga, Air Putih and Pulau Tikus state constituencies are announced.[46] In particular, Lim Guan Eng, the Chief Minister of Penang who also serves as the incumbent Air Putih State Assemblyman, will be defending the seat for the third consecutive time since 2008, whilst Chris Lee Chun Kit, an ex-councillor of the Penang Island City Council, will be making his political debut in Pulau Tikus.
	PAS declares that it will be contesting in 18 of the state constituencies in Penang, and announces its candidates for the 18 seats.[13]
20 April 2018	DAP candidates for Seri Delima, Air Itam and Paya Terubong state constituencies are announced.[47] Two ex-councillors of the Penang Island City Council, Syerleena Abdul Rashid and Joseph Ng Soon Seong, will be making their political debut in Seri Delima and Air Itam respectively.
21 April 2018	DAP candidates for Sungai Puyu, Bagan Jermal, Bagan Dalam, Perai, Jawi, Padang Kota, Pengkalan Kota, Komtar, Datok Keramat, Sungai Pinang and Batu Lancang state constituencies are announced.[48] These include four new candidates - Satees Muniandy (Bagan Dalam), H’ng Mooi Lye (Jawi), Gooi Zi Sen (Pengkalan Kota) and Ong Ah Teong (Batu Lancang).
22 April 2018	The Malaysian United Party (MUP) announces its candidates for 20 of the state constituencies.[49]
24 April 2018	The People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH, names its candidates for 14 of the state constituencies in Penang, namely Pinang Tunggal, Telok Ayer Tawar, Seberang Jaya, Penanti, Machang Bubuk, Bukit Tengah, Bukit Tambun, Sungai Bakap, Sungai Acheh, Kebun Bunga, Batu Uban, Pantai Jerejak, Batu Maung and Pulau Betong.[50] Notably, the party's secretary-general, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, will contest in Pantai Jerejak, replacing the seat's incumbent and Deputy Chief Minister I of Penang, Mohd Rashid Hasnon.
	BN reveals its candidates for all of the state constituencies in Penang.[12]
25 April 2018	PH unveils its Penang-specific manifesto at the Penang Chinese Town Hall in George Town.[51]
	Penang Front Party (PFP) announces its candidates for 13 of the state constituencies.[52]
	Love Malaysia Party (PCM), a component party of the Gagasan Sejahtera (GS) coalition, announces its sole electoral candidate, who will contest the Air Putih state constituency.[53]
27 April 2018	GS reveals its candidates for Machang Bubok, Perai, Bukit Tambun, Jawi and Batu Uban state constituencies.[54]

Nomination centres

Campaign

A Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner at Burmah Road in George Town uses nasi lemak as an analogy for Penang's position as the top destination in Malaysia for foreign direct investment, as well as the state's low public debt. In an unprecedented move, PH banners depicting famous local dishes have been placed throughout the city.^[56][57]

Analysts and news agencies, including Channel NewsAsia, The Straits Times and The Edge, predicted another victory for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Penang, due to the PH-led state government's achievements in social welfare and infrastructural developments, as well as Penang's economic growth under PH's tenure.^[58][59][60] Even so, the election was still hotly contested over several issues, including the vulnerability of the city-state to natural disasters such as floods and landslides, the proposed Penang Undersea Tunnel, transportation and public housing.^[61][62][63]

Flags of the People's Justice Party (PKR) in George Town. The PKR banner serves as the common election symbol of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, hence its use by the coalition's other component parties, DAP, Amanah and Bersatu.

In particular, the PH administration placed considerable emphasis on Penang's achievements under its tenure, such as the state's solid economic performance, rapid development, overall cleanliness, public housing and the administration's social welfare policies.^{[64][65][66][67]} These were seen in contrast to the perceived discrimination of Penang by the Barisan Nasional-led federal government, especially in matters ranging from transportation to the lack of financial aid for Penang's flood victims.^{[61][66][68][69]}

Manifestos

Barisan Nasional

The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition launched its Penang-specific manifesto on 15 April 2018 in Seberang Jaya.^[43] It pledged, among others, to create a special fund for first time married couples, ban construction projects at hill slopes and at areas 250 ft (76 m) above sea level, build low-cost houses (priced at RM40,000 each) in its Rent-To-Own Housing Schemes, and solve traffic congestion within the city-state.^[70] These were in addition to the previous promises made by various BN politicians, including the Malaysian Prime Minister and BN chairman, Najib Razak, to abolish toll charges for motorcycles on the Penang Bridge and to scrap the Penang Undersea Tunnel project, which had been proposed by Penang's Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.^[71][72] BN politicians also claimed that the PH-led state government had failed to fulfil 51 promises and attempted to attract public attention on this issue by illegally pasting anti PH-posters throughout George Town on 20 March.^[30][73]

In response, the state government, led by the then Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, slammed BN for deliberately copying the administration's policies into the BN manifesto, stating for the record that the government's policies, including social welfare programmes and reduced assessment rates for low-cost housing, have already been implemented.^[74][75] Notably, the BN manifesto failed to address the need for a rail-based public transportation system, such as LRT and monorail, within Penang; Lim maintained that the BN manifesto "offered no alternatives to building a public transport system to alleviate traffic congestion except to sabotage our proposed LRT and under-sea tunnel projects".^[76][77][75] Meanwhile, Jagdeep Singh Deo, the incumbent State Assemblyman for Datok Keramat, refuted BN's claims that Penang's PH-led state government had failed to provide affordable housing, reporting that more than 25,000 units of affordable housing have, in fact, been completed within the state.^[78] Critics also assert that the BN-led federal government has consistently discriminated the State of Penang by withholding major infrastructure projects and financial grants to the state.^[79][80]

Pakatan Harapan

The launch of Pakatan Harapan's Penang manifesto at the Penang Chinese Town Hall in George Town on 25 April 2018.^[51]

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition unveiled its Penang-specific manifesto on 25 April 2018 at the Penang Chinese Town Hall in George Town.^[51][81] The manifesto encompasses 68 pledges, including the implementation of the Penang Transport Master Plan which incorporates the proposed LRT and monorail services throughout the city-state, the construction of the Penang Undersea Tunnel, free-of-charge public bus services, a health-care programme which offers financial aid for lower-income households, a varsity township in Balik Pulau, the completion of more than 75,000 affordable housing units by 2025, a wider variety of public infrastructure, and a two-term limit for the position of the Chief Minister.^[81] In officiating the launch of the manifesto, PH leaders in Penang also promised financial funding for Islamic schools in the state and the promotion of interfaith harmony through the construction of a 'Harmony Centre' for non-Muslim affairs.

Comparison of BN and PH manifestos

Manifesto	BN[70]	PH[81][82]
Transportation	Cancellation of the Penang Undersea Tunnel project Construction of interchanges for congestion-prone roads and expressways	Penang Transport Master Plan, which includes the following proposals[83] LRT lines George Town - Bayan Lepas George Town - Butterworth Monorail lines George Town - Tanjung Tokong George Town - Air Itam Butterworth - Bukit Mertajam George Town tram system Construction of the Penang Undersea Tunnel Free public bus services within both Penang Island and Seberang Perai
Public housing	Construction of 65,000 affordable housing units	Completion of 75,361 affordable housing units by 2025
Social welfare	Establishment of a special fund for first-time marriages of up to RM2,000 per couple	Financial assistance of RM300 for each household with monthly income of less than RM5,000 to cover medical expenses Financial assistance of RM1,000 for women with monthly income below RM2,000 Increase in welfare payments for the elderly and the disabled to RM200
Education	-	Allocation of land for the first Tamil-medium secondary school in Penang Annual financial assistance of RM20 million for vernacular and Islamic religious schools in Penang Construction of a university township in Balik Pulau
Economic development	-	Construction of a RM50 million SMART Centre to develop small and medium enterprises (SME)
Harmonious community	-	Islamic faith to be enhanced via the sponsorship of religious programmes Increase in funding for the Penang Hindu Endowments Board to RM1.5 million annually Construction of a RM3 million 'Harmony Centre' for non-Muslim affairs
Safety	-	Installation of 1,000 CCTV units to deter crime
Environment	Ban on construction projects at hill slopes and at areas 250 ft (76 m) above sea level	Continued preservation of all forest reserves within Penang Rehabilitation of the Jelutong landfill upon the cessation of operations Execution of flood mitigation projects within Penang
Public infrastructure	Free parking lots for owners of affordable housing units	RM20 million refurbishment of the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery Construction of sports infrastructure worth RM275 million, including an electronic games arena and a motorcycle race circuit Construction of markets and community halls
Governance	-	A two-term limit for the position of the Chief Minister Penang Public Accounts Committee chairman to be allocated to the leader of the state opposition

Social media

The election was notable for the extensive use of social media, particularly by the opposing Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalitions.^[84] Both sides created numerous videos to disseminate their policies, pledges and ideologies to the public in the run-up to the election.

Videos created by the PH typically depict the improvements experienced by Penangites since 2008, when the coalition's predecessor, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), was voted into power. The PH-led state government's welfare policies, Penang's economic growth, the refurbishment of existing infrastructure, and efforts to improve cleanliness and reduce crime, as well as the preservation of forest reserves within the state, are often touted in these videos.^[85][86][87]

In contrast, BN's videos generated considerable controversy. On 22 February 2018, a video depicting a woman grousing about her disappointment with the general state of affairs in Penang under PH rule was uploaded online by a BN-linked Facebook page.^[88] It received widespread condemnation by netizens and PH politicians alike, and was generally seen as a BN propaganda effort designed to peddle half-truths and myths about Penang's PH-led government.^[88][89][90] An official of the state government, Zaidi Ahmad, rebutted all the allegations raised in the video, pointing out, among others, that Penangites' median income and average monthly income were greater than the national average, Penang's relatively low unemployment rate and water tariffs, and that the PH administration has indeed built more affordable housing units within the state.^[90] Meanwhile, on 23 April, Grace Teoh Koon Gee, a councillor of the Penang Island City Council, lodged a police report over a BN-made video which painted the PH as a racist party.^[91]RSN Rayer, a DAP politician, slammed the video as extremely dangerous and stated that the video was intended to "instigate voters to go against PH".

During the campaigning period, a number of DAP candidates fell victim to slanderous social media content created by BN. For instance, Ramasamy Palanisamy, the Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the incumbent State Assemblyman for Perai, lodged a police report on 2 May over a manipulated video of his speech during a rally in Perai, which was reportedly circulated by BN.^[92] DAP's candidate in Seri Delima, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, also lodged a police report over BN's baseless allegations that she supported the Christian domination of Penang. BN cybertroopers targeted Satees Muniandy, the DAP candidate in Bagan Dalam, as well, claiming that he owns a luxurious house worth RM527,000.

Rallies

The Pakatan Harapan rally at the Esplanade in George Town on 28 April 2018.^[93]

Instead of holding large-scale rallies solely in Penang's capital city, George Town (on Penang Island), as was the practice in the 2008 and 2013 elections, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) organised simultaneous rallies in both George Town and mainland Seberang Perai.^[94] This change of tactic was intended to reach out to more voters, particularly in Seberang Perai, thus negating the need for supporters to travel across the Penang Strait to attend the rallies and reducing traffic congestion within George Town.

The first PH rallies were held concurrently on 28 April 2018 at George Town's Esplanade and Butterworth on the mainland; both rallies, which featured key speakers such as Lim Guan Eng, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Marina Mahathir, collectively attracted more than 120,000 people.^[93] Simultaneous PH rallies were also held on 2 May at George Town's Han Chiang College and Juru on the mainland, with the Han Chiang rally alone attended by a 120,000-strong crowd.^[94]

The last PH rallies were held at George Town's Esplanade on 7 and 8 May, the latter of which was held simultaneously with other PH rallies in Bayan Baru, Butterworth and Seberang Jaya.^[95] The PH rally at the Esplanade on 7 May collected RM84,335.70 worth of donations, with PH supporters staying on site despite the rain.^[96] Meanwhile, PH's last Esplanade rally on 8 May featured former United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) politician, Rafidah Aziz, as one of its key speakers, as well as the live telecast of a speech by Mahathir Mohamad, PH's candidate for the position of the Malaysian Prime Minister.^[95]

Controversies

The decision by the Malaysian Election Commission to hold the election on a weekday (Wednesday, 9 May 2018), as opposed to the previous practice of holding elections on weekends, sparked considerable uproar on the Internet.^[10] Netizens voiced their displeasure and questioned the need to hold the polling day on a weekday, and alleged that this decision was intended to reduce voter turnout.^[97] In particular, voters residing outside Penang could be hampered from returning home for the polling day due to work commitments, thus carrying the potential of a lower voter turnout which would place the Pakatan Harapan (PH) at a disadvantage.^[10][97][98] In response to the nationwide criticism of the polling date, the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, subsequently declared 9 May as a national holiday.^[99][100]

During the polling day on 9 May, PH candidates, including Lim Guan Eng and Zairil Khir Johari, reported that their mobile phones and social media accounts were being subjected to cyber attacks.^[101][102] The candidates alleged that their mobile phones received a continuous stream of automatically-generated spam calls from United States-based phone numbers by the minute, disrupting the coalition's communications and operations in the midst of polling.

Results

Seats won

   Pakatan Harapan (92.5%)

  Barisan Nasional (5.0%)

   Gagasan Sejahtera (2.5%)

Popular vote

   Pakatan Harapan (67.20%)

  Barisan Nasional (22.41%)

   Gagasan Sejahtera (9.78%)

   Parti Rakyat Malaysia (0.15%)

   Penang Front Party (0.08%)

   Socialist Party of Malaysia (0.03%)

  Malaysian United Party (0.30%)

  Independent (0.05%)

e • d Summary of the 9 May 2018 Penang state election results

	Votes	% of vote	+/–	Seats	% of seats	+/–
Pakatan Harapan:	530,008	67.20	4.77	37	92.5	8
Democratic Action Party (DAP)	301,343	38.21	0.51	19	47.5
People's Justice Party (PKR)	184,350	23.37	1.36	14	35.0	4
Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu)	16,988	2.15	2.15	2	5.0	2
National Trust Party (Amanah)	27,327	3.47	3.47	2	5.0	2
Barisan Nasional:	176,723	22.41	9.68	2	5.0	8
United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)	101,761	12.90	4.06	2	5.0	8
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan)	43,092	5.46	3.68	0	0.0
Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)	25,758	3.27	1.66	0	0.0
Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)	6,112	0.78	0.28	0	0.0
Gagasan Sejahtera:	77,171	9.78	9.78	1	2.5
Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)	76,746	9.73	4.63	1	2.5
Love Malaysia Party (PCM)	83	0.04	0.01	0	0.0
People's Alternative Party (PAP)	342	0.01	0.01	0	0.0
Independents and others	4,785	0.61	0.24	0	0.0
Malaysian United Party (MUP)	2,366	0.30	0.30	0	0.0
Penang Front Party (PFP)	631	0.08	0.08	0	0.0
Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM)	1,190	0.15	0.15	0	0.0
Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM)	223	0.03	0.03	0	0.0
Independents	375	0.05	0.27	0	0.0
Valid votes	788,687	98.57
Invalid/blank votes	11,471	1.43
Total votes	800,158	100.00		40	100.00
Registered voters	945,627	84.62
Source:[103]

An animated electoral map of Penang, depicting the state constituencies gained by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 2018 Election.
Pakatan Harapan

  DAP-controlled seats

  PKR-controlled seats

  Bersatu-controlled seats

  Amanah-controlled seats

Barisan Nasional

  UMNO-controlled seats

Gagasan Sejahtera

  PAS-controlled seats

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition scored its best ever electoral results in Penang's history, seizing eight additional seats to increase its tally in the Penang State Legislative Assembly to 37, or 92.5% of the legislature.^[3] The election marked the debut of PH's newest component parties - the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) and the National Trust Party (Amanah) - into Penang's political arena, with each of the parties winning two constituencies. The People's Justice Party (PKR) also successfully increased its share in the legislature from 10 seats to 14 seats. Meanwhile, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) saw an increase in the majority in some of its 19 seats. The incumbent Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, defended the Air Putih constituency with over 80% of the popular vote, while Chow Kon Yeow won in Padang Kota with more than 70% of the popular vote.^[104] The largest margin of victory was recorded in Paya Terubong, where Yeoh Soon Hin of the DAP won by 31,189 votes.^[105]

The election also saw BN's worst performance in Penang's history, as the coalition lost seven constituencies to the PH and retained only two, both of which are won by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).^[106] Once again, BN's other component parties, namely Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), did not win any seat. Although the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) lost the Permatang Pasir constituency, it managed to capture the Penaga constituency from the BN, thus giving the Islamist party a single seat in the Penang State Legislative Assembly.

Aftermath

The 14th Malaysian general election, which was held simultaneously with the Penang state election, resulted in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition seizing power at the federal level from the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN), making the election the first time since independence Malaysia experienced a regime change.^[107] On 12 May 2018, the incumbent Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, was appointed the Finance Minister by the new Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad.^[108]Chow Kon Yeow, the chairperson of the Democratic Action Party in Penang, had been endorsed by Lim to succeed the latter as the Chief Minister; Chow was sworn in as Penang's fifth Chief Minister on 14 May.^[5]

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional's Penang chief, Teng Chang Yeow, announced his retirement from politics in the aftermath of the coalition's rout in the hands of the PH.^[109] Aside from the PH administration's exemplary performance in Penang in the preceding 10 years, the trouncing of the BN was also attributed to the Malaysia-wide tsunami against the perceived corruption and maladministration by the previous BN-led federal government.^[110] Teng's counterpart in the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Zainal Abidin Osman, also tendered his resignation as the Penang chief of the BN component party.^[111]

See also

• Constituencies of Penang


• Elections in Penang

References