GEORGE TOWN, Nov 1 — Seri Delima assemblyman Syerleena Abdul Rashid, who was fielded to contest in the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat under Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 15th general election (GE15), is expected to give up her state seat when state polls are called next year.
DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng said that it was in line with the party’s policy of “one candidate, one seat”.
“As announced, incumbent Bukit Bendera MP Wong Hon Wai will be moving to state so he gave way for Syerleena to defend his seat,” he said in a brief press conference during a morning walkabout with Syerleena and Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng.
He said Syerleena will have to give way in the state polls next year since she has been shifted to the parliamentary seat.
He said Syerleena was picked as a candidate for all races, not only to represent the Malays.
“She’s selected not because she’s a Malay or because she’s a woman but because she’s capable,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syerleena said she will eventually have to give up her state seat when the state election is called next year.
“This is the first time Penang is having a separate state election so it is different than if it was held concurrently with the general election,” she said.
She said there was no issue with her giving up her state seat and she is confident in retaining Pakatan’s Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat.
Syerleena is a first-term assemblyman who had won the Seri Delima state seat with a 13,211 majority votes.
Although the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat consists of predominantly ethnic Chinese voters, at about 73 per cent, DAP’s Zairil Khir Johari had won the seat back in 2013 with a 32,778-vote majority.
Wong was fielded for the seat while Zairil was shifted to the Tanjung Bungah state seat in 2018, which they both won.
DAP has held the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat since it won the seat in 2008.
Prior to that, it was held by Gerakan, under Barisan Nasional.
