This is because the seat is home to the most “hardcore” DAP supporters, with little or no chance of victory for a challenger from another party.
But for Tanjong’s Gerakan parliamentary constituency coordinator Ng Siew Lai, it is a challenge she relishes.
Siew Lai hopes to make history if she is chosen to contest in the DAP stronghold.
If she is selected, she will be the first female candidate to contest the Tanjong seat since it was created in 1959.
The three-term former Bukit Tengah assemblyman has been going to the ground for the past few months, listening to the people’s concerns and resolving nitty-gritty issues.
From her research, Siew Lai said the growing middle class in Tanjong had become more politically savvy and might be willing to consider options other than DAP.
She said among the concerns raised by the folk in Tanjong was the disappearing tangible and intangible heritage at the Unesco World Heritage Site.
For instance, she said, many pre-war shophouses had been given an “excessive makeover”, resulting in an unnatural facade.
“I am not against restoring buildings, but we need to be realistic and stay true to the original George Town. Historical buildings must look historical, not too modern.
“The disappearance of the ‘kopitiam’ outlets that were once famous in Penang is also a concern among the people. Now, there are more cafes serving gourmet coffee which most people cannot afford,” she told FMT.
Siew Lai said many low-cost flats, especially in the heart of town, were in disrepair and had been neglected by the present state government.
“The Kedah Road flats, for instance. The lifts often break down but they (the state government) could not do anything to help.”
When asked if her candidacy in Tanjong was confirmed, Siew Lai said she would abide by the final decision of the prime minister.
The 57-year-old former teacher was the state assemblyman for Bukit Tengah from 1999 to 2008.
After BN’s massive losses in 2008, Siew Lai helped the election machinery in Bukit Bendera. She is now the Gerakan Wanita deputy chief, Gerakan’s national central committee member and Penang Gerakan Wanita chief.
The Tanjong seat is currently held by Ng Wei Aik. He is expected to defend the seat in the coming polls.
Wei Aik beat BN’s Ng Song Kheng with a majority of 28,645 votes in a straight fight in the last polls.
The Tanjong seat is essentially the inner city of George Town and its fringes. The word tanjong is a colloquial way of referring to the cape which juts out on the northeastern corner of Penang Island.
Tanjong had its share of ups and downs before becoming a DAP stronghold.
Historically, the Tanjong seat is closely intertwined with DAP parliamentary leader and opposition strongman Lim Kit Siang.
Of late, there have been rumours of Kit Siang returning to contest here, but he has brushed off such speculation.
In 1986, Kit Siang beat Koh Tsu Koon for the Tanjong seat in what was labelled the “Tanjong One” battle. Kit Siang had also stood for the Kampung Kolam state seat at the same time.
In 1990, DAP began its “Tanjong Two” battle, where Kit Siang beat incumbent chief minister Dr Lim Chong Eu in the fight for the Padang Kota state seat.
Koh, who won the state seat of Tanjung Bungah, was made Penang CM following Chong Eu’s loss.
But it was the 1995 “Tanjong Three” that sent shockwaves through DAP and its observers.
Although Kit Siang had been portrayed as a “Robocop” with his promise to bring Penang to greater heights, he lost to Koh in the fight for the Tanjung Bungah state seat in the 1995 general election.
BN held Tanjong from 1973 to 1986 and the Padang Kota state seat from 1995 to 2008.
The three state seats under Tanjong – Pengkalan Kota, Komtar and Padang Kota – have been firmly in DAP’s grip for the past two terms.
In the last polls, there were 51,487 voters in the constituency, with 86% Chinese voters, 9% Indian voters and 5% Malay voters.
In the latest fourth quarter 2017 electoral roll, Tanjong’s voter numbers dropped to 50,324.