THE Unity government in Penang, led by its Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, has vowed to give its full support to Sungai Bakap Pakatan Harapan candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin ahead of the by-election polling day on July 6 (Saturday).
During a special dinner in Simpang Ampat earlier, Chow addressed the crowd by saying that if PKR’s Dr Joohari wins the Sungai Bakap seat, the Penang government will fully cooperate to address the ongoing issues faced by the constituents.
“Having campaigned for over a week now, I, together with the candidate himself, have learned some community-related issues that require immediate action.
“As a Unity government, we are committed to ensuring the people’s needs, from infrastructure, public facilities, transportation and other relevant projects are met,” Chow said in his speech.
The Sungai Bakap by-election is a straight fight between Dr Joohari, better known as Cikgu Joohari, and Perikatan Nasional’s Abidin Ismail. In the state elections in August last year, the Sungai Bakap seat was won by PN’s Nor Zamri Latiff, whose death on May 24 due to stomach inflammation, triggered the by-election.
Among those present during the dinner were Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, Perak PKR chairman Chang Lih Kang and several state executive councillors.
Wan Azizah, in her speech, reminded voters not to take by-elections too lightly, emphasising the importance of the current unity government.
“Every vote counts, and despite being a by-election, don’t fail to take it seriously.
“On July 6, please go out and cast your votes for a better Sungai Bakap, especially for all the important projects that are in the pipeline here,” she said.