Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng urged Pakatan Harapan to take seriously the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that BN would recapture the state in the next general election (GE14), as the ruling party had the means to "play dirty" to achieve its aims.

Lim said the deputy prime minister was surely serious when he said BN had the confidence to wrest power in Penang in the coming 14th general election.

He noted how Zahid had been able to beat the traffic jam on the first Penang bridge yesterday, by summoning a helicopter to transport him to his programmes in Seberang Perai.

"We have to make sure we fight back so that Penang remains in the rakyat's hands and not BN's," Lim said at a press conference today.

"Don't view lightly what the deputy prime minister said, as we must fight as much as possible to seize Putrajaya," he added.

"But we will do it in a manner that is as clean as possible, unlike BN, which plays dirty, for example, attacking the Penang undersea tunnel project that is good for the people," he stressed.

"However, until now, BN leaders are unable to state who is involved in corruption in the tunnel project, and they are either afraid or cowards to say so.

"Unlike us, we are able to say exactly who are the people involved in the 1MDB scandal," Lim quipped.

Zahid's prediction

Lim was responding to Zahid, who said yesterday that as there are 40 state seats in Penang, all BN needs is to win 21 state seats to form a government based on a simple majority.

He claimed that Umno is confident of winning 15 seats, whereas Gerakan is expected win three, MCA two and MIC one.

This would result in a total of 21 seats, thus enabling BN to capture the Penang state government.

Currently, Umno has only 10 seats, while Gerakan, MCA and MIC were wiped out at the 2013 election.

In Kepala Batas, Zahid also named Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow as the "main player" in GE14, urging him to move forward to restore BN to power in the state.

Zahid was in Seberang Jaya, Kepala Batas and Kulim on a one-day "turun padang" (go to the ground) tour to meet voters amid rife speculation that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will get  Parliament dissolved at the end of this month to pave the way for GE14.

Regret over BN 'sabotage'

Meanwhile, Lim expressed regret that BN leaders had tried to "sabotage" the tunnel project, which was planned to overcome traffic congestion by providing Penangites with a third link from the mainland to the island.

Lim cited the case of a car accident on the first Penang bridge which caused massive traffic jam yesterday to illustrate his point why the tunnel, which includes three highway project, was necessary in Penang.

He said ordinary folks in Penang were unlike the DPM, who could summon a helicopter to transport him to his events in Seberang Perai.

Lim added that even Penang government leaders were like ordinary folks, as they could only sit in their cars and wait out the hours-long traffic congestion.

"It is the same for the goods and services tax, BN leaders like MCA president Liow Tiong Lai do not feel it as he has the money but ordinary folks are suffering the burden of the GST every day.

"It is also similar to a prime minister who can afford to eat quinoa but ordinary folks like us can only afford to eat rice every day," he added.

"So who would you rather vote? A leader who waits two hours in a traffic jam with you or one like the deputy prime minister who takes the helicopter to his destination?" the DAP secretary-general asked.