GEORGE TOWN: DAP elected representatives dropped as candidates in the upcoming state election have been urged to stay united with the party to ensure Penang remains under Pakatan Harapan.
Party chairman and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, who has been Air Putih assemblyman since 2008 and is defending the seat again this year, said the leadership wanted a mix of “continuity and renewal” in selecting its candidates.
He said the party understood the concerns of former elected representatives who were not selected to defend their seats and hoped they would support the decision.
“Let’s stay together to ensure that we retain the Penang state government.
“We need to move forward… and secure victory for the party,” he told reporters during an event at Penang Hill on Wednesday (July 26).
On Tuesday (July 25), Penang DAP announced its 19 candidates for the state election, with seven former assemblymen dropped, including five executive councillors.
Among them was former Bagan Dalam assemblyman M Satees, who was not nominated.
Satees claimed “someone” was treating Penang like their own domain and had been given “full rights” to decide on DAP’s candidates for the polls.
He added that those who were dropped were not in the same camp as this “someone”.
– The Star