Zairil, who was elected as MP in 2013, announced his engagement with Dyana on March 10 following months of speculation about their relationship.
Although this led to some criticism, Zairil is taking it in his stride, trusting that the electorate will see the good work he has done as a parliamentarian over the past five years.
“I am no stranger to controversy. Ever since my first election in 2013, critics have used smear tactics against me. It’s up to the people to attack me if they want.
“I can’t stop people from sensationalising things. But at the end of the day, what I offer is my work, commitment and track record.
“I very much hope that voters will judge me on that,” he said in an interview with FMT.
Zairil is indeed no stranger to the hot seat. His baptism of fire came when he decided to join DAP despite coming from the family of Md Khir Johari, who was once Umno secretary-general.
He quit his CEO role at his chocolate factory business to join politics full-time in late 2010. Two years later, he was appointed as DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary in Kuala Lumpur.
Exposing scandals in Parliament
In proving his mettle as a first-term MP, Zairil said he had exposed scandals which caught national attention, such as the education ministry’s RM4.1 billion 1BestariNet project.
Under the project, 10,000 government schools nationwide were to be connected to the internet with a special virtual learning environment classroom for students.
Zairil said his expose in 2013 led to a parliamentary oversight committee on the project, which concurred with his claim that it was a waste of money.
The Public Accounts Committee found the project riddled with suspicious expenses, and said the contracts awarded had been poorly managed.
The programme is still ongoing despite the committee’s recommendation that it be stopped, Zairil said. A re-study by the education ministry is also pending.
Zairil, who is also DAP’s assistant national publicity secretary, said he had also exposed the needless purchase of English language textbooks from Spain from Standard One and Form One students late last year.
He said the textbooks were designed for Spanish students and had content which was only relevant to students in Europe.
“I made a rough calculation of the cost of these books and came up with an estimate of RM33 million. The actual figure turned out to be RM34 million.
“This was actually spent when RM7 million worth of locally-sourced textbooks were already bought for students. When they wanted to buy the new textbooks from Spain, I realised something was amiss.”
No honeymoon in Bukit Bendera
On the home front, however, Zairil faces problems in three of the four state seats in his Bukit Bendera constituency.
In Kebun Bunga, assemblyman Cheah Kah Peng has fallen out of favour with the state leadership. Pulau Tikus rep Yap Soo Huey is planning to go on a sabbatical, and Tanjung Bungah’s Teh Yee Cheu will quit DAP at the end of his term.
The only stable seat appears to be Air Putih – Bukit Bendera’s largest state constituency which is currently held by Lim, Penang’s chief minister.
Zairil told FMT he had been dealing with bread and butter issues typically addressed by local assemblymen.
But despite the many problems with issues ranging from traffic lights to drains, he added, his office had never turned down a complaint.
“My office runs a ‘no wrong door’ policy. We take in all complaints,” he said.
He gave the example of an apartment building in Tanjung Tokong where residents suffered from bad water quality due to rusty pipes.
His office managed to change the entire plumbing system to provide clean water, he said.
“We have also replaced lifts for ageing and problematic low-cost flats in the constituency.”
The next big thing for the people of Bukit Bendera will be the North Coast Paired Road, a bypass which will cut traffic towards the popular Batu Ferringhi beach.
There is currently only one main road hugging the north coast of Penang heading towards Batu Ferringhi.
Despite those who criticised the project, Zairil said most residents were very supportive of it as traffic congestion, especially during school holidays, was unbearable.
He said the new 10.5km paired road connecting Teluk Bahang and Tanjung Bungah would also help support the booming development in the island’s north coast.
But even with strong support from the people of Bukit Bendera, he added, DAP had never considered it a “honeymoon” there.
The knowledge that Bukit Bendera is a former Gerakan stronghold also keeps him on his toes, he said.
“Penang is a key state and a backbone for Pakatan Harapan. In Bukit Bendera, it is the same. We will continue working hard to serve our voters.
“There is no more honeymoon for us. DAP has been here for two terms. Penangites are known to change their government as they wish. They are unpredictable and savvy voters.”
He added however that the party’s work was not complete, and that more time was needed to finish what it had planned for the state and country.
When asked if he would return to contest in the 14th general election, Zairil said it was up to the party leadership.
“Whatever decision is given, I will continue to help Bukit Bendera,” he added.