PAP president Zulkifli Mohd Noor claims that he was the architect of DAP’s success in Penang and therefore has a thorough knowledge of the state government’s weaknesses.

“As the architect who built the house, I definitely know how to dismantle it,” he told FMT.

Zulkifli, who was a DAP member for 26 years and once served as a vice-president of the party, formed PAP in 2014. He resigned from DAP in 2013, following its controversial internal elections.

PAP announced on Saturday that it would contest in all of Penang’s parliamentary and state constituencies. It will also field candidates in Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.

“I know what the DAP’s weaknesses are, and how to use them against the party,” Zulkifli said.

“People think DAP is strong but it is not. It’s just that Penang voters hated Barisan Nasional (BN) so much they had to go for the alternative.”

Asked to explain his confidence in PAP’s capability to get voter support, he said, “We will be a force to reckon with as we are not an enemy of BN or Pakatan Harapan. We are an alternative to them.

“On top of that, PAP is the only truly multiracial party in Malaysia. DAP may claim to be multiracial, but it is actually a Chinese party.

“And it doesn’t have capable leaders in Penang. If (Chief Minister) Lim Guan Eng ends up behind bars, the party will go haywire.”

Lim is currently under trial for alleged corruption and power abuse. He was arrested in June and was charged under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act for allowing an application to re-zone a piece of land owned by Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd and under the Penal Code for buying a piece of property below market value.

Zulkifli said PAP was aiming to pull youths into the party and promised to groom them for leadership roles.

“We will make them contest for the state assembly seats,” he said. “Once they have the experience and have reached the age of 36, we’ll let them contest for parliamentary seats.”