GEORGE TOWN, July 14 — Penang DAP is yet to finalise its candidates list, said state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow.

He said there is still time for them to decide on the list of candidates for the state elections on August 12.

"We still have a bit more time so it’s not finalised yet,” he said when asked if the state DAP has submitted its candidates list to the party executive committee for final approval.

He said they will only submit the list of candidates to the national committee for approval once it’s finalised.

Chow, who was picked to be chief minister for the second term if Pakatan Harapan (PH) retained the state, said the unity coalition’s focus now is to win a new mandate.

He said the announcement by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke that he (Chow) will be chief minister again should stop the unnecessary speculations on the post.

"These speculations will not strengthen us by weakening us so all these should be buried and stopped now,” he said before a walkabout at New World Park here at noon.

When asked if the announcement meant that he will be Penang PH’s poster boy for its state election campaign, he said it is only right that he leads the campaign as the state PH chairman.

"We don’t use this title (poster boy) but rationally, I should lead the election machinery as the Penang PH chairman,” he said.

He thanked the party leadership for their trust in naming him as the chief minister candidate if PH was to retain the state.

He pledged that the way forward for PH if it retained the state, was to continue to push for unity, development, racial harmony, the welfare of the people, good governance and pro-rakyat as what the administration had done in the past 15 years.

"This will be a challenging state election so we will need all leaders, members and supporters to be with us,” he said.

The nomination day for the state elections is set on July 29 with a campaign period of two weeks.

PH first took over the Penang administration in 2008 and had remained in power since then.

This will be the first state election where PH will work with Barisan Nasional candidates as per the federal unity government.