GEORGE TOWN, March 30- Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Teng Chang Yeow today expressed his willingness to face Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in a straight fight in the 13th general election (GE13).
However, he imposed a condition that the contest should only be for a state constituency seat to show that the candidates were giving full commitment to the people in the state.
“This is for the future of Penang…leaders should show full commitment to implement policies for the benefit of the Penang people.
As such, Lim Guan Eng must show his commitment by only contesting for a state constituency seat,” he said at a media conference, here today.
On Thursday, the chief minister had challenged Teng to contest in the Padang Kota state constituency, the constituency where Teng had won for three terms consecutively before losing to the state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow in the 12th
general election.
Teng, who thanked the chief minister for the challenge, said Guan Eng was more popular compared to him and should have no problem in contesting any of the 40 state seats in Penang.
Teng, who is also Gerakan secretary-general, said it was only fair that in the contest this time, the BN should decide the terms and conditions because in the three previous polls, the DAP had challenged the Gerakan leader in the constituencies determined by the party.
He said that in the 1986 general election, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang had challenged former Penang chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to contest the Tanjong parliamentary constituency, and in the 1990 poll, Kit Siang had challenged the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu to contest in the Padang Kota state constituency.
Describing the GE13 as a policy struggle and not a personality contest, Teng promised an overall economic transformation for Penang if the people gave BN the opportunity to administer the state.
On the BN list of candidates for the 13 parliamentary and 40 state seats in Penang, he said the final list was 95 per cent finalised.
– BERNAMA
