GE14: Good response offers hope for Gerakan to wrest back Padang Kota state seat




By Kenny Teng Khoon Hock

GEORGE TOWN, April 24 (Bernama) -- Good response and support from people in the constituency offer hope for the Gerakan to wrest back the Padang Kota state seat, says Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate H'ng Khoon Leng.

Having served the constituency for the past 27 years, he said it would be difficult for him to wrest the seat which had become a DAP stronghold since 2008.

"It is not easy to win the seat but I have received good response and support from the people in the past two years," he told Bernama when met after the announcement of the Penang BN candidates here today.

H'ng, who graduated in economics from Universiti Utara Malaysia, is tipped to contest against the Penang DAP chairman and incumbent Chow Kon Yeow, and Malaysian United Party candidate, Goh Saik Wei in the 14th General Election (GE14).

"I am not afraid as I am prepared to battle for the seat with the DAP to ensure BN wins the seat, " he said.

The Padang Kota constituency is in the heart of George Town and was represented for decades by Gerakan leaders, starting with former chief minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu from 1974 till 1986.

However, H'ng, 54, said many of the complaints he received lately were linked to the heritage premises in areas which were majority owned by foreigners. Senior citizens in the area find it difficult to make ends meet with rising rental on residential units.

He said many of the residents in the Komtar and Padang Kota areas had opted to shift out from the constituency due to increase in cost of renting in the areas.

"The majority of the population in my constituency are above 50, and they are surviving on aid from the welfare department. Many of them cannot afford the rental after foreigners took ownership of the property, especially on heritage premises," he noted.

He said not many locals had benefited from the listing of George Town as a World Heritage Site in 2008 as currently, many foreigners owned the heritage premises in the areas.

In the 1990 General Election, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang defeated Chong Eu but Teng Chang Yeow managed to win back the seat for Gerakan in 1995, 1999 and 2004 before losing to Chow of DAP in 2008.

-- BERNAMA