GEORGE TOWN, July 6 — Following confirmation that PAS had retained its Sungai Bakap seat with a larger majority, Penang Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Chow Kon Yeow stated that the result reflected the public’s sentiment on the current political climate in Sungai Bakap, Penang, and Malaysia “This is an interpretation of the people’s voice on what’s happening recently,” Chow told reporters at PH’s vote tallying centre at Bukit Jawi Golf Resort.
He acknowledged that despite good cooperation between PH and BN under the unity pact, they failed to convince voters about recent national, state, and local issues. Chow highlighted that national concerns such as the diesel subsidy, rising costs of living, and perceived inflation played a significant role in the outcome. Additionally, a 13 per cent drop in turnout among ethnic Chinese and Indian voters compared to last year’s state elections contributed to the larger majority won by PN.
Moving forward, Chow emphasized the need for a post-mortem to understand the loss and assured that the state would continue to address issues raised by voters.
