Penang PH, Umno to hold a second meeting next week

GEORGETOWN - Penang Pakatan Harapan (PH) and state Umno will hold a second meeting over seat allocations and state election issues scheduled by next week, state Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

"We don't have much time left so maybe this week or next week," he said in a press conference, here, today.

During their initial meeting on May 2, PH and Penang Umno had agreed not to contest against each other in the upcoming state election.

The two parties will have a second meeting to discuss further seat allocations and related issues.

In addition, Chow, the Penang PH chairman expressed hope that they could reach agreement during the second meeting.

"Hopefully we can agree on more things during the meeting," he added.

Two weeks ago, Chow said BN will be given the chance to defend its two seats in Penang in the upcoming state election.

He said the Central DAP Executive Committee had decided that all seats will be returned to respective incumbent parties in a meeting held on last April 19.

The Penang chief minister added that all seat negotiations are made based on the agreed principle that all seats will be returned to the incumbent party, and PH will not ask for the seats from Umno or BN.

Penang has 40 State Legislative Assembly seats and PH had won 37 seats in the 2018 General Election, when Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) was still part of PH.

BN had won two seats while Pas won one seat in Penaga.

After Bersatu left PH coalition and two PKR assemblyman were sacked from the party and later joined PPBM, the four seats in Seberang Jaya, Sungai Acheh, Teluk Bahang and Bertam fell under Perikatan Nasional (PN).

However, the four of them were expelled from the State Legislative Assembly last March after the Cabinet approved a motion to force them to vacate their seats according to the anti-party hopping law.