TASEK GELUGOR – It is expected to be an uphill task for the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates to win the three state seats in the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary constituency.
In the last general election, BN lost Tasek Gelugor, which was considered a safe seat, to Perikatan Nasional (PN).
The defeat of the BN candidate, Datuk Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor, to Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Bersatu) by 12,252 votes is seen as providing an uphill task for candidates representing the unity government to win the three state seats in Tasek Gelugor in the coming state election.
Realising this, the three BN candidates contesting the three state seats, Shaik Hussein Mydin (Sg Dua), Nor Hafizah Othman (Permatang Berangan), and Abdul Mohsein Mohd Shariff (Telok Ayer Tawar), are working hard, going to the ground to meet their electors in every nook and cranny of the constituencies.
Shaik Hussein, who is Penang Umno deputy chairman, said he had been to almost all the villages in Sg Dua to introduce himself and convey his plans to the people there.
Among the things he plans for the people in Sg Dua, now under PAS, is to ensure none of the constituents live in hardship.
This includes making sure they have access to all facilities and assistance provided by the government, he said.
Tasek Gelugor, located in Seberang Perai Utara, is a rural area with 80,868 registered electors, and almost 50% of them are between 21 and 39 years old.
Nor Hafizah, who is defending the Permatang Berangan seat, intends to bring more improvements to the constituency.
As for Mohsien, he said Telok Ayer Tawar has a dense population, but the area is still lacking in facilities such as banks, health clinics, and post offices.
His father, Tan Sri Mohd Shariff Omar, was a Tasek Gelugor MP for two terms, from 1999 to 2008.
In this coming state election, Shaik Hussein will face Penang PAS commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff; Nor Hafizah will face Mohd Sobri Salleh (PN-PAS); and Mohsein (PH-PKR) will face Azmi Alang (PN-Bersatu).
The Election Commission has set polling for the state elections in Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Negri Sembilan to be held simultaneously on August 12, while early voting is on August 8. – August 3, 2023