WANITA DAP chairman Chong Eng and Kepala Batas strongman Lay Hock Peng are the surprise candidates for the upcoming Penang DAP election.
Despite being dropped in the state election last year, Chong Eng continues to retain a level of influence and is now among the 32 candidates who garnered adequate nominations to contest.
Lay is the DAP Veterans national committee chairman, and despite his advanced years, he remains in the fight too.
The list of 32 candidates was made public today by the state DAP secretariat.
Among the notable names missing were Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid and another veteran Phee Boon Poh, who recently suffered a health scare.
DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng was also not listed among those contesting for a post.
Phee’s younger brother Boon Chee and daughter Syn Tze have qualified to contest.
As expected, the frontrunners for the state DAP’s top posts were all included in the list.
They are Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong, Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying, who is the sister of Guan Eng, and state executive councillor Wong Hon Wai.
They are joined by Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo, his brother Ramkarpal Singh Deo, current DAP vice-chairman Zairil Khir Johari, Tourism Malaysia deputy chairman Yeoh Soon Hin and Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng, the former political secretary to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who has opted out of contesting.
Another surprise inclusion is Soon Lip Chee, who did not contest in the last state election, similar to Chong Eng.
The group which replaced former deputy chief minister II P. Ramasamy, are also among the 32 candidates. They are Calvin Kumaran and Datuk S. Sundarajoo.
Out of the 32 candidates, those who finished in the top 15 positions would form a new state DAP line-up, whose term is from 2024 to 2026.
They will then negotiate among themselves who would assume which posts and who they can co-opt in. – September 11, 2024.
The full list of candidates:
1. R. Anathan Raj
2. Chee Chong Chew
3. Chong Eng
4. Daniel Gooi Zi Sen
5. Harvindar Singh
6. Heng Lee Lee
7. Jason H’ng Mooi Lye
8. Jagdeep Singh Deo
9. Joseph Ng Soon Siang
10. K. Kalidas
11. R. Kaliyappan
12. T. Kamelindran
13. Calvin Kumaran
14. Lay Hock Peng
15. Lim Hui Ying
16. Lim Siew Khim
17. Ong Ah Teong
18. Phee Boon Chee
19. Phee Syn Tze
20. C. Pitchay
21. Ramkarpal Singh Deo
22. R.S.N. Rayer
23. Steven Sim Chee Keong
24. Soon Lip Chee
25. S. Sukumar
26. Datuk S. Sundarajoo
27. Teh Chuann Yien
28. Teh Lai Heng
29. Wong Hon Wai
30. Joshua Woo Sze Zeng
31. Yeoh Soon Hin
32. Zairil Khir Johari
