THE PENANG state government and its opposition were put on a steep learning curve on post March 8 politics as various Penanti by-election issues panned out over the week. Broadly, there were three areas that dominated the debate.

• “Centre-state” slip: In a slip in Pakatan “centre-state relations”, its chief, Anwar Ibrahim, failed to inform CM Lim Guan Eng about the resignation of former DCM I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin. After that Lim spoke about his displeasure openly (read here and here) and was asked to stop by other PKR leaders (read here). After some altercations, the matter was considered settled with an apology by Anwar (read here). Any PKR-DAP rift has also been denied. Read here. The matter was seized upon by the opposition BN to declare, with publicly-displayed banners, that the CM is “powerless” (read here) but the move has been shrugged off by the CM. Read here. The overall issue has been seen by an analyst as “old style of new politics”. Read here.
• Umno unsure about contest: Until Sunday (April 26), Umno remained unsure about contesting in Penanti (read here). Former PM Mahathir Mohamad has waded into the scene, calling for a contest (read here) and created a potential dilemma for the new Prime Minister. Read here.
• Edgy over Fairus: After anti-corruption commission MACC cleared former DCM I Fairus of charges (read here), there was speculation he might stay on as Assemblyman, thereby creating a problem for PR chief Anwar Ibrahim. An analyst even said he held the trump card. Read here. The matter was put to rest when he reiterated that he would not retract his resignation. Read here.

Meanwhile, the following are also of note:

• End of the road for funicular railway: The federal Public Works Department has asked for tenders, with 21 days to deadline, to redevelop the Penang Hill Railway. It would mean dismantling the entire old system and replacing it with a new one (read here). There was no prior consultation on this, and the NGOs and other stakeholders are quite upset, calling for a review. Read here.
• MPPP rating slammed: The Penang Island Municipal Council’s three-star rating has been heavily criticised by MP Jeff Ooi (read here and here).
• Quarry issue opens up: A state government probe into three quarries has shown that they have underpaid royalties by RM6mil (read here and here), prompting the authorities to take action and extend the investigation to 12 other quarries. Read here.
• New Penang Umno chief says it is going to be tough: Zahid Hamidi, the newly-appointed Umno liaison chief in Penang, says Penanti will be a tough fight for his party. Read here.
• Penang to form Penang Chief Minister Incorporated: The state government is to form Penang Chief Minister Incorporated to, among others, conserve, protect and promote heritage values in George Town following its listing as a Unesco World Heritage site. It would also stimulate investments to help spur economic growth in Penang in the wake of the current economic slowdown. Read here.
• Two more lists involving Penang: Two lists of interest to Penang watchers have surfaced over the past week. The first is a “must buy” list of 12 announced by Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang. Read here. Another is a list of quintessential food icons of 12 cities worldwide. Penang made it to the list with char koay teow. Read here. 

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