Penang Barisan National chief Teng Chang Yeow appears more confident now and is prepared to wrest back the Padang Kota seat he lost to the DAP in 2008.

"I may go back to Padang Kota, there is nothing to stop me going back. After all, I can only look at the 13 seats that we have. I cannot eye Umno, MCA or MIC seats," he told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview.

"My seat is no longer a personal choice. I am the BN chairperson, I have to lead the battle and we need to go to battle with a war plan".

This war plan, which will reveal BN's vision for Penang, is expected to be made public by Teng on Monday, something he has been hinting about on his Facebook page.

NONE When asked what has inspired his confidence since he seemed wary about responding to the matter when appointed state BN chief on April 22, Teng ( right ) said "I am all the time very confident".

However, he said had to be cautious earlier when responding to such queries as he needed to think before he spoke.

"If I say anything wrong, I am dead. The world is different today, news travels very fast. If I say something good, I get many calls praising me," stressing that the opposite could happen as well.

‘75% want Teng in Padang Kota'

Teng was responding to DAP's Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik's challenge for him to return to the Padang Kota seat, and had referred to an online survey conducted from April 14 to May 1, supporting the idea.

The survey revealed that 75 percent as opposed to 25 percent wanted Teng - who held it from 1995 to 2008 - back in the constituency, currently represented by state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow.

Teng laughed when told about this, thanking the DAP for a "fantastic job which shows marvellous cooperation between the BN and the Pakatan Rakyat".

"The political lansdcape has changed so much that the ruling party in the state is wiling to support an Opposition candidate.

"I am willing to accept it (recontesting the seat). I was a nobody and had managed to defeat then-DAP state chief Karpal Singh in 1995, but the sample is too small," he added.

However, Penang has no safe seat for Gerakan, Teng admitted, as it had lost all to the Pakatan in 2008.

He added it would be better to be realistic about the matter than adopt a complacent approach as the party cannot afford it in the coming battle.

"We need to put in extra work, effort, and build closer relationship with all the other component parties," he stressed.

On the Gerakan secretary-general's relationship with other component party leaders, he replied "they are very supportive".

NONE He added that he had sat down with everyone, including his party's state chairperson Dr Teng Hock Nan ( left ), to share his plans for the coming polls which must be held not later than June next year.

However, Teng hinted that the leaders may not be in agreement with him all the time, a challenge he has to face squarely as state BN head honcho.

"It is normal to have different views, it is only human nature. If everyone agrees to all we have say, then there is no more fun to be in politics," he said.

On Gerakan-MCA relations

Teng said differences of opinion do not mean the coalition was breaking apart but the components sometimes differ in their views on implementation of policies and programmes.

If everyone held the same views or do not share their opinions, he said, he would be in "serious trouble," adding that the parties were always in consultative relationship.

" We do not bulldoze our views on others," he added.

On MCA's relationship with Gerakan, which at time seems shaky or even non-existent, Teng begged to differ.

He said the parties had been working very well on the ground, especially in Nibong Tebal and Bukit Mertajam.

He had held talks with MCA leaders like Ng Yen Yen, Sak Cheng Lum and other MCA veterans to see how best to consolidate the BN further and enhance their working relationship.

On whether the coalition partners would be swapping seats to boost their chance of victory, Teng said the BN does not want to "create unnecessary issues" doing that.

But the component parties have submitted their individual list of candidates to BN national chief Najib Razak and are now awaiting his response.

For Gerakan, he hinted there would be some new faces as the party needed to give voters a "fresh choice".

"There would be some changes, some will retire, some we have lost or left us".