Now with speculation high that Parliament may be dissolved by this month's end to pave the way for the 14th general election, candidate movements in several constituencies in Penang have set tongues wagging.

Once Harapan announced last Sunday that DAP will contest 19 state seats, PKR 14, Amanah three and Bersatu four, speculation has been floating on who would be the likely candidates in the seats.

For starters, bold DAP critic, Tanjung Bungah's Teh Yee Cheu, has declared his intention to contest in the Sungai Pinang state seat as the "third choice" for voters.

The seat is currently held by DAP's Lim Siew Khim, and Teh's decision has raised suspicions that his candidacy there is to help BN.

Sungai Pinang falls under the Jelutong parliamentary constituency, where the incumbent is the colourful MP Jeff Ooi, who has indicated earlier that he may not be contesting in this GE14.

If Siew Khim is fielded again, Teh would also face another hopeful candidate, Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow, who is said to have chosen "a winnable seat" to make a comeback to the state assembly.

 

Prior to the 2008 election, Teng held the post of state executive councillor for a term under then chief minister Koh Tsu Koon.

Teng, the state Gerakan chief, has been recently touted as BN's chief minister-in-waiting by Umno vice-president and Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, who visited Penang last weekend.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Teng that he is the "main player" in Penang, and that he has to move forward to recapture the state from Harapan.

Teh's intention to contest in the Sungai Pinang seat raises eyebrows as speculation is rife that his presence there could draw away votes from DAP.

In other words, he would be helping Teng win, even though one wonders how the latter would mount a challenge there as the Jelutong constituency is DAP's stronghold.

Rebel offering 'choice'

Asked to comment, Teh told Malaysiakini, "We are a free and democratic country. Once Parliament dissolves, it's a no man's land.

"I chose Sungai Pinang because it is close to my home in Dato Keramat, and I have previously raised issues relevant to the seat, including on environmental and housing matters.

"Those who say I want to help this or that party win do not believe in democracy or justice. I am offering a third option."

Teh added that he would only announce the party of his choice when Parliament is dissolved.

As for the Jelutong seat, the late Karpal Singh held the seat as MP from 1978 to 1999. There is a seafront promenade within the suburb of Jelutong that has been named as Karpal Singh Drive.

Karpal died in a tragic car accident in Perak in 2014, and his seat in Bukit Gelugor is now held by his son Ramkarpal, who is also a practising lawyer.

If Ooi does not intend to defend the Jelutong seat, speculation is rife that DAP Seri Delima assemblyperson - the loud and fiery RSN Rayer - may be fielded in the seat as he is known as a strong supporter of Karpal.

Tiger vs Panther

Already some quarters are jesting that this would be an exciting fight between a new "Tiger of Jelutong", as Karpal was popularly known, with the "Black Panther", as also eyeing the seat is Gerakan's well-known lawyer Baljit Singh.

Baljit has been working the ground with his charity activities and legal representation in controversial cases, the latest being the murder of teenager T Nhaveen, after he was bullied and physically abused by a group of youths.

But since Baljit is clearly known to be in a different camp from Teng, having openly challenged the latter for the top state party post, his candidacy in Jelutong hangs in uncertainty.

With Teng contesting the Sungai Pinang seat, Thor Teong Gee, who was earlier slated for the seat, has now been "ousted" to Bukit Tengah, to face PKR's Ong Chin Wen.

Bukit Tengah, together with Machang Bubok, Padang Lalang and Berapit, fall under the Bukit Mertajam parliamentary constituency.

Thor has made his presence known in Sungai Pinang for at least two terms, but is now shifted to another place, where he would have to work doubly hard to prove himself, especially with the GE14 being just around the corner.

He recently announced that he has been appointed the Bukit Tengah coordinator, and asked for public support.

The doctor has been actively promoting himself on Facebook, saying that the task ahead is "challenging" and that he plans to work for a better Bukit Tengah for all, in terms of better quality of life, improvements to the existing infrastructures and better traffic management.

Teng previously contested the PKR seat, thinking that it was the weakest link in Harapan, but was trounced by Ong, making the latter "a dragon slayer", a joke among certain quarters as Teng was born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon.

But if Ong is not in the ring this time, PKR is mulling whether to field newbie Ong Jing Cheng, a former Suaram coordinator and Seberang Perai Municipal councillor, who works well with Machang Bubok representative Lee Khai Loon and DAP's Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim.