Penang's PH govt revels in its biggest electoral victory

GEORGE TOWN: Voters in Penang have handed the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan government here its biggest majority since it took over the state in 2008.
Despite the issues raised by the opposition (BN) on the environment, traffic congestion, and affordable housing, national issues took precedence for voters here.
Pakatan ended up winning 37 out of the 40 state seats and 11 out of the 13 parliament seats.
BN was left with just two parliament seats in Tasek Gelugor and Kepala Batas, while hanging on to the state seats in Teluk Bahang and Permatang Berangan, while PAS was a surprise victor in the Penaga state seat.
Former Penang PAS Youth head Mohd Yusni Piah defeated the BN incumbent Datuk Mohd Zain Ahmad with a majority of 1,132 votes.
There was also a huge shift in Malay support, reflected in Balik Pulau particularly, where PKR's Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik defeated former Barisan Nasional deputy health minister Datuk Seri Abdul Hilmi Yahya with a majority of 6,464.
Political anaylst Yusmadi Yusoff said the Malays have finally put their absolute trust in DAP, adding that the "Mahathir" factor definitely helped.
He said the role played by PH's strategist, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, was also significant.
The political nomad made history by winning two separate seats in Kedah and Penang.
He won the Pantai Jerejak state seat here, and went on to defeat the BN incumbent Datuk Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir in the Kulim-Bandar Bahru parliament seat in Kedah.
The wipe-out of BN's component parties – Gerakan, MIC and MCA, has raised doubts on whether the pact is still relevant in Penang.
Despite the hard work and perseverance from BN candidates, the tide of the election proved costly for them, as they only won two parliament seats out of the 13 seats it contested.