SEBERANG PERAI, Aug 1 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) is confident of retaining Penang in the next general election (GE15), said Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow today.

The Penang chief minister said the coalition remains confident of public support for the administration, citing its monitoring of grassroots sentiments.

"So far, I think we feel that the opposition has not been able to put out a strong case on why people should vote for them,” he said in a press conference after visiting several locations in Tasek Gelugor under the state’s "Jelajah Love Penang” programme.

However, he said the pact will not underestimate anyone, especially with new parties aiming to make some leeway in Penang.

"We will make sure our elections machinery are ready,” he said.

Earlier, he said the state is reconsidering calling the state elections concurrently with the national elections.

He said all preparations for elections by DAP are done at the party level currently as they have not selected the candidates yet.

Chow recently kickstarted the Jelajah Love Penang programme by visiting each parliamentary constituency in the state.

He has visited four parliamentary constituencies so far which started off at Bukit Bendera, then Kepala Batas, Permatang Pauh and today, Tasek Gelugor.

While he had stressed that the programme was to promote and reactivate the local economy after the pandemic, he also admitted that everything they do now is in preparation for the elections.