Nomination day promises to be riveting this year mainly because most Malaysians believe that the result is already a foregone conclusion - a BN victory is assured.
However, who gets nominated is an indication of change and continuity, an insight into Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government's proposals for Malaysia subsequent to the 2008 elections. Its real importance lies in whether the proposed line-up will be good enough to draw that extra support to win over difficult constituencies.
Penang has come into sharp focus in this coming election. The decision to have a change in chief minister has taken some of the wind out of the opposition’s sails. The issue now is who will replace Dr Koh Tsu Koon?
Gerakan has to win and win well if it is to justify retaining the chief ministership. The goodwill that the party earned via the Lim Chong Eu era has about run out. Koh's legacy is less certain hence the mood of the people there.
It is undeniable that Koh has presided over the further development of Penang but many still feel that he was merely riding on the coattails of his predecessor. DKoh also laboured under a public relations problem. Under Dr Mahathir Mohamad's premiership, he did not get a chance to shine very often. In fact, at one time, the PM even called Penang Darul Sampah . In these last four years, with a new PM who is also a Penangite, Koh is once again viewed as a chief minister-in-pillion.
Nonetheless, Koh is well-respected as an intelligent man with a sound knowledge of facts and figures. He may not have the kind of grassroots support as Dr Lim Chong Eu or Dr Lim Keng Yaik but few politicians of his generation have that kind of following. Malaysians are more cynical now and less prone to be committed to any individual. Of course, there are the sycophants but they are like a herd running after whatever moves.
So, the issue of who will replace Koh may well decide Gerakan's fate in this coming elections. Many feel that the candidate must be from Penang or at least be related to somebody from Penang. There is a kind of Penang-centric feeling associated with the state's long history as a British colony. Most Penangites feel that outsiders really don't understand their needs or their way of doing things.
Yet, there is pragmatism. The candidate's background, commitment to Penang and more importantly, level of effectiveness will count for much. Whoever takes over will have to re-make Penang anew. The challenges are great. They include expanding Penang's manufacturing industry upward, somehow revolutionising the education system and un-stitching it from the current national mediocrity, and regaining people's confidence by spelling out concrete plans without resorting to sound-bites like ‘K-economy’ etc.
There are also infrastructural problems. Many already identified by Chong Eu years ago but left unresolved. Candidates who have had a hand in presiding over Penang's present traffic woes or its terrible public transport system will be remembered by the electorate. This type of candidate may be well-known but not well-liked.
The new CM should be a person of fairly capable disposition who does not fear or suspect civil society groups. Penang will reach developed world status under his/her leadership and will be looking for new directions not only for economic growth but also for a better quality of life. A CM who has his/her ear to the ground will be an effective leader. He/she must be brave enough to break out of the old mould of kompang and bunga manggar rhetoric. Go down to the street, go to work by bus and re-connect government to the people.
Age also matters. The accumulation of bad experiences, repeating of the same mistakes in all sorts of positions, a bad management style; all will bog down the new chief minister. A younger person, who is innovative and intelligent, should be given the chance. Like Chong Eu, he will live long enough to see the fruits of his labour. There is, therefore, a sense of being accountable. Leaders do not like to be reminded each day of their failures and mistakes. So, a moderately younger person is most suitable in that respect.
On the off-chance that Gerakan fails to win enough seats to earn it the chief minister-ship, then Umno would certainly be under pressure by its supporters to appoint a Malay chief minister. In that case, Umno’s Women’s Wing Deputy Head Shahrizat Abdul Jalil would be eminently suitable to take up the task.
She is a Penangite from a well-established family. She ran a successful law firm and was the first woman corporate director for a listed company. She may well be the first woman chief minister. For a leader to return to Penang as its chief executive after an illustrious career in Kuala Lumpur, certainly brings to life that old motto ‘Penang leads’.
