Penang Pakatan Harapan considers Umno leaders for next state administration

Penang Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Chow Kon Yeow has announced that the coalition is open to including Umno leaders in the next state administration if they return to power. However, these Umno leaders must first secure their seats in the state election, which is expected to take place in July.

Chow, who is also the chief minister of Penang, clarified that if the Umno leaders do not win any seats, they would not be included in the state exco lineup. This is due to the absence of any laws allowing the appointment of new members without a seat.

Chow’s statement comes in response to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s keynote address at the Umno annual general assembly, in which he expressed the party’s desire for representation in the three PH states of Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan.

According to Chow, Zahid’s statement reflects the current political landscape in Malaysia, where former rivals PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) are partners in the national unity government. “We are in cooperation mode at the federal level these past seven months and the cooperation at state level can be further strengthened in the upcoming state elections,” he said.

Chow also stated that the cooperation between PH and BN will continue during the state polls. As for seat negotiations with BN, he mentioned that discussions are still ongoing even after several rounds of negotiations, as not all seats offered to the respective parties may satisfy each party. “The final decision of the seat negotiations will be decided by the presidential council,” he added.

Chow confirmed that he will seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang, Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, on June 27 to obtain consent for the dissolution of the state legislative assembly on June 28. Penang has 40 state seats, and in the 14th General Election, PH secured 37, including two by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, while BN won two, and PAS won one. Bersatu and PAS are currently part of the Perikatan Nasional federal opposition coalition.