This issue started by Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor will be a main item in political speeches by Penang Pakatan and state government leaders when they meet the public.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told reporters that they were going all out to save the state from being turned into a federal territory.
Earlier, at the Chinese New Year open house hosted by state exco Jagdeep Singh Deo today in Datuk Keramat, Lim had called on Penangites to protect the existence of the state.
He told them not to let go of their rights and give up their state.
“We will never agree to give up Penang as a state. In the next general election, do not let BN win. You may lose your state.
“We have to rise and stand united to protect the state. Don’t you want to keep your state? To continue to sing your state anthem?” he told the people in the crowd, who responded positively to him.
Lim also said BN was trying to “hancurkan” (destroy) Penang, one of the 13 states of Malaysia.
Earlier this week, Tengku Adnan in a radio interview, said he was thinking of taking Kedah’s Langkawi Island, parts of Malacca and the state of Penang to make them federal territories.
If it becomes a federal territory like Kuala Lumpur, Penang will no longer have a state legislature — meaning there will be no state assembly, no assemblymen and no chief minister. The authority will be a federal-appointed mayor.
Lim said the issue was not that he would end up as the last chief minister of the state, but the people would lose their rights to elect representatives.
He also asked what would happen to the Penang Governor, the head of state.
Referring to Tengku Adnan, Lim said: “How could he suggest that? It is because they have given up? That they cannot win back Penang?
“So, nyeh nyeh lai liao lah,” he said, using the Hokkien words for “they will take it by force”.
Hokkien is the mostly widely spoken Chinese dialect in Penang.
Lim said Adnan should stop dreaming of taking Penang through “dirty tactics” because Penang “will fight to the end”.
Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow also reminded the people to renew their support for the Pakatan Harapan administration in the state, which was led by DAP that held the most seats.
He said BN had toyed with the party’s acronym, saying that it stood for “Dangerous And poisonous”, instead of Democratic Action Party.
He shot back, saying DAP meant “Delivered As Promised” because the state government and all elected Pakatan reps were working hard to deliver what they had pledged.
“We have delivered what we said we will do, and we are still working to deliver our pledges. A lot of work is still in progress.
“We need a new mandate to finish what we have started,” he said.
Penang has been governed by an opposition government since 2008. Of 40 state seats, DAP has 19 and PKR 10. PAS hold one seat while BN’s Umno has the remaining 10.